Demon's Pinion
by Angelicblue
Summary: An evil being is lurking on Zi, bent on destroying the free peoples of Zi. What is this creature you ask? A demon queen. And she won't rest until everything on the planet is dead...R&R *Complete*
1. Interactive Form

Summery: It's a new generation of Zoids. There are new pilots fighting to reach the top. But there's something else lurking on Zi. Some strange being is slowly destroying the planet. There are rumors going around that this creature is some sort of immortal demon. They say that the demon travels around in the form of a woman dressed in black and has some sort of power that allows her to turn humans into her slaves. Her goal is to destroy all the free peoples of Zi, and it's now up to the pilots to stop her.  
  
If you decide to join this fic, don't complain over what I make your character do. I can't deal with complaints okay? Thanks.  
  
Form-  
  
Name: first and last  
  
Nickname: this is what you want your character to be referred as in the story.  
  
Age:  
  
Gender:  
  
Race: white, Japanese, African American, etc...  
  
Clothes:  
  
Physical Description: build, height, face, eyes, hair, etc...  
  
Personality:  
  
Background: You must have at least a little background here...  
  
Zoid: Customs are allowed, but if you want a custom you must fill out the form in parenthesis. If you pick one that's known about, just write the name, color, and weapons.  
  
( Name:  
  
Type:  
  
Speed:  
  
Weapons/Parts:  
  
Description: how does this zoid look?)  
  
Pairings: If you want to be paired up with one of the other entries, write it here. If you don't know who to be paired up with, just write yes and what type of person you want your character to be paired with. The only NC/0 characters you can be paired be paired up with is Jamie Hemeros (17) and Vega Obscura (16).  
  
Team: Do you want to be on a team? Your character can also be a mercenary, but if everyone is a mercenary, I may put your characters on teams. If you want to create a team, just put the name. I'll add people into your team, and your character will be the captain of that team, unless you say otherwise.  
  
That's it. I won't pick all the entries, only the best ones. Sorry. If there's lots of people I have to add in, it just gets hectic and I won't be able to write so they're all in it. Well, enjoy. 


	2. Introduction to the Characters

{A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed and sent in the characters. I've decided to add in all the characters that have so far been submitted, so be grateful. I will allow mid-story entries, but I will be pickier with these characters than the ones first submitted. Anyway, enjoy the story. Here's the first chapter.}  
  
Kazeyama Repair Shop---  
  
"Almost done," a man said to a Land Rover, as he tightened the last screw.  
  
Jake then stood and wiped his forehead with his arm. His dark gray eyes were bright as he watched the Land Rover move around for the first time in weeks. It screeched happily. The man looked young, only about 18 perhaps. His dark brown hair and tanned complexion was a dead giveaway to his oriental origin, though he was part Caucasian. Jake's white shirt was covered with grease stains from working for the past 3 hours, but he looked content. The Land Rover let out another screech of glee.  
  
Jake laughed, and caressed the Land Rover's head as it nudged him. "You're welcome. I don't even know why I do this for money."  
  
But just then a green Blade Liger burst into the garage. Jake's head snapped around. The Blade Liger roared, making the room shake.  
  
"You're going to break something," Jake snapped at the Liger. "That's why I do this for money," he mumbled silently.  
  
At his stern voice, the Blade Liger seemed to falter a little bit, but the cockpit opened. A man, who looked like he was in his mid or late twenties, stood up from the open cockpit. He looked down at Jake with steel blue eyes, and the wind slowly shifted his emerald hair. The man jumped from the cockpit and walked up to Jake.  
  
He jabbed his thumb toward the Zoid. "I need my Liger repaired. There's something wrong in the movement of his legs. His walking seems uneven. I'll be back tomorrow at the same time to pick him up."  
  
But as the man started to leave, Jake ran up to him. "Uh...I need your name so I can write up a receipt."  
  
The man looked at Jake, his blue eyes glinting in the sunlight. "My name's Kaneda Omori."  
  
"Okay then. Your Blade Liger will be ready for pick-up by tomorrow."  
  
Kandeda Omori, a.k.a. K.O. left the garage. Jake looked up at the Zoid.  
  
"Well, first let's get you inside."  
  
The Liger growled and obediently followed Jake into the hangar.  
  
"What's up this time Jakey?" a raucous voice called from the counter.  
  
"A Blade Liger. Pilot says its movement feels uneven. There are a few minor damages to tend to also," Jake called back.  
  
Jake looked over the Liger. He then jumped into the cockpit. The Liger roared and started to act up as Jake grabbed the controls.  
  
"Hey! Cool it!"  
  
"ROOOOAAAR!"  
  
Jake tightened his grip on the controls. "You keep doing that. You'll just wear yourself down, because I'm not going anywhere."  
  
The green Blade Liger kept bucking for a few minutes, and finally started to calm down. As soon as Jake felt he had control of the Zoid, he gradually pushed the controls forward. The Liger slowly started to walk.  
  
"Yeah, it feels somewhat uneven," Jake murmured as he halted the Zoid.  
  
He jumped out of the cockpit and started to inspect the leg joints.  
  
"Ah. Here's the problem."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
A black Zabat wheeled across the sky. The rain clouds were gray and heavy, and the Saber Tiger below stood on unsteady legs. The pilot of the Zabat, Jason Pegasus, kept his Zoid flying in a circle. A small grin came across his face.  
  
"Hmph. Give up yet?" his cool, calm voice echoed through the cockpit of the Saber Tiger.  
  
The Saber Tiger roared. "Never! I'm not going to lose to some punk!" the pilot yelled back.  
  
"You had your chance," Jason replied quietly.  
  
The Zabat plummeted toward the Saber Tiger. The Tiger launched itself at the Zabat, but Jason maneuvered his Zoid out of the Saber Tiger's way, and opened his wing blades instead. The Saber Tiger slammed into the ground; so did its detached leg. Jason flew into the sky as the rain began to fall. His screen beeped.  
  
"Huh. Looks like that pilot wasn't a total idiot after all. He nicked my wing," Jason said, looking at the beeping screen  
  
Jason landed his Zoid next to the felled Saber Tiger and picked up his transmitter.  
  
"He's yours for pick-up. Yeah. Okay. Just put the money in my account. Uh- huh. Sure. Bye," Jason said in his radio transmitter.  
  
Jason took one last glance at the Tiger, then took off into the air.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
"What the-" but Drake's voice was cut off.  
  
The Konig Wolf launched itself toward the Shinryu unit. The Dragon Zoid was able to dodge the attack, but the Wolf was fast. Almost too fast.  
  
"What's with the Wolf, Shin?!" Drake Lithran yelled.  
  
The Dragon King growled, and took off into the air. On the Wolf's back, two boosters opened up, and the Zoid flew after the Shinryu. Drake tightly closed his hands around the controls, and banked a sharp right. The Konig Wolf howled and five missiles came rushing toward Drake. Trying to stay calm, Drake pulled his Zoid into a barrel roll, and avoided the missile attack. Despite the tight situation, Drake's silver eyes were wide with excitement.  
  
::The sky is my domain. He who enters without leave shall not prevail::  
  
The boosters on the wings of the Dragon Zoid suddenly opened up and started to spit out blue flames. The Shinryu shot forward. It turned toward the sky, and flipped over to face the on-coming Konig Wolf. The Wolf howled and fired 5 more missiles toward the Shinryu. But the Dragon King's wings started to glow, and the missiles were blocked by the shield. The Shinryu let out a huge roar.  
  
"Yeah. I agree with you partner. Let's do this," Drake said.  
  
The Shinryu lowered its head, making itself more aerodynamic, and sped forward. As it approached the Konig Wolf, its already red eyes began to glow brighter. The front claws of the Shinryu started to glow the same color as its eyes. The Konig Wolf howled and met the Shinryu unit. Both Zoids sped passed each other, and seemed to hover in the air for a while. Then the Konig Wolf let out one last weak howl, and fell to the ground with an explosion. Drake landed his Zoid and stumbled out of the cockpit. His spiky black hair was wet with sweat, and his black shirt was plastered to his chest. He was breathing hard, but a grin came across Drake's face.  
  
"I haven't had such a rush in a Zoid battle for a long time. What about you Shin?" Drake looked up at his Zoid.  
  
It roared happily. But Drake was a little curious about the Zoid. He went over to inspect it. The cockpit was empty.  
  
"A rogue Zoid," he said quietly.  
  
Drake's eyes fell on a marking on the Konig Wolf's shoulder. It looked like a blood red snake, coiled, and ready to strike. But as Drake leaned closer to get a better look at the marking, it turned into a real snake. The red snake hissed and slithered off. Drake was shocked. He had just seen a marking turn into a real snake.  
  
{A/N:The snake was actually like a mini-Zoid. Think small Stealth Viper.}  
  
"Must be getting a little tired," Drake said, shaking his head. "Let's get out of this place."  
  
Drake hurried away from the Konig Wolf and took off in his Zoid. A woman stood on a cliff not far from the battle. She had seen everything. Though the shadows hid most of her form, two glowing eyes could be seen. They had a crescent shape and an amber color that belonged only on a hungry cat. A smile crept onto the woman's face.  
  
"Well done, human," she said. Her voice was smooth and fluid, but cold and cruel. It was enough to make a man shiver. "You did better than I expected. Perhaps you will be of some use to me after all."  
  
The red snake from the Konig Wolf slithered onto the cliff and stopped at the woman's feet. The woman's eyes flashed as she saw the snake. There was anger burning in them as she swiped down and caught the metal snake on her finger. Her long silver nails closed around the snake. They dug into the snake's scales, and it seemed to cry out.  
  
"Khai! You fool! I am angry, but you are fortunate. For your loss has given me another idea," the woman narrowed her feline eyes.  
  
She then stepped out from the shadows. Her dark black hair was streaked with red and reached down to her elbow. The woman's skin was fair, and her form was thin. If not for the cold, evil look in her eyes, she would have been a beautiful woman. She seemed to be listening to something as the wind swept by. The woman's amber eyes widened and she dropped the snake. It slithered away. In the cover of the bushes, the snake changed into a humanoid form. It was a boy, perhaps around 14, with blood red hair. His face was timid and his eyes were wide with fright. Khai cowered in the shadows, away from the piercing glare of the demon woman.  
  
"Enko!"  
  
A silver mini-Shadow Fox-like creature appeared in front of the woman. It bowed its head slightly, and changed. Instead of a fox, a woman was kneeling before the demon woman. Her hair was silver and was shoulder length. Enko's eyes were yellow and ever so watchful. She had dark gray fox ears atop her head, and they twitched at every sound.  
  
"Yes, Lady Inari?"  
  
Enko's voice was silky and devious. Her eyes were cold and indifferent, but she had an evil yet humorous look. Lady Inari looked up toward the sky.  
  
"There is a firstborn near here. I smell it in the air. I can sense him," Inari said, and then turned to glare down at Enko. "I want you to get him."  
  
Enko's expression turned into a surprised look.  
  
"A firstborn? I thought they had all been wiped out in the Big Change."  
  
"Apparently not. But he could prove useful. Find him, Enko, and bring him to me."  
  
Enko bowed low. "Of course, my lady."  
  
With that, Enko transformed back into a fox and ran off.  
  
"As for you," Inari turned to Khai. The boy slunk more into the bushes. "You are a waste of a demon, but I will not dispose of you just yet. Track the dragon-boy. Don't take your eyes off of him. I am not asking you to do anything but watch. And don't you even lay a finger on him, Snake, or you will wish you were dead."  
  
Khai nodded mutely, and slithered off. Inari looked over toward the falling sun. She turned into a black raven and flew away.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
"Okay, people. Get OFF you lazy asses and let's go!" Ariel Kaiko was disgusted at her teammates' laziness.  
  
They had won their first match the day before, and had celebrated...all night long. Now they were pooped and refused to get up. Ariel put her hands on her hips. Her spiked bracelet jingled a little at the movement. Her hazel eyes showed clear annoyance. She looked over the team.  
  
Blain Kami was quite arrogant. He was probably the happiest one of the team when they had won. But Blain was a pretty quiet guy, much to Ariel's dismay, with an exception of last night. He wore a green shirt and black pants. His red jacket was draped over the back of the couch, and his red sweatband that was usually around his head had come off and was around his neck instead. Because of his painful past, Blain prefers being called Strider.  
  
Ebony Knight was the other female member of the team besides Ariel. She tries to get everyone to call her S.Angel, but everyone just calls her Angel. She doesn't talk much, but is a very compassionate person, once you get to know her. Though one may only see sadness in her eyes, Ariel knows Angel has a good heart. Currently, Angel was on the ground with her almond- shaped eyes closed. Her black, knee-high boots were under the table. Angel wore a black leather belly shirt that zipped up the front. She had one fingerless glove on her hand, but the other was on top of the table.  
  
Kaneda Omori was the leader of their team. He had originally started his team with some gourds from his parents' manor, but decided to create a team and register it as an official ZBC team. Kaneda, or K.O. as he is more often called, was a fairly laid back person. He could seem impersonal at times, but the team respected him. Ariel noticed he wasn't in the room.  
  
"He must be out repairing his Zoid," she thought. "He was, after all, complain about uneven movement or something like that."  
  
K.O. came from a rich family, but grew sick of them. He didn't talk much about his past to the team, and the team didn't ask.  
  
Then finally, there was Ariel Kaiko herself. She discribes herself as a punk, and seems to be proud of it. She doesn't know much about her past, but doesn't care. She's the sarcastic, logical one of the team, and tends to always point out flaws in plans, tactics, etc... Her hair was black, and about shoulder length. Her eyes were hazel, and currently her nails were painted black, though sometimes they were dark purple. Ariel's pants were usually baggy black carpenter pants, and she had on a black shirt with a skull on the front side. The sleeves looked a little fringed, and around her neck Ariel wore a dog collar similar to her bracelet.  
  
The Last Guard Team was having a leisurely morning, since most members refused to get up. Ariel finally gave up on trying to get Strider and Angel up and training for the next match, so she turned on the television instead. As she surfed through the channels, something caught her eye. Her eyes widened and she popped in a video card and started to record.  
  
"-another attack has been reported last night. This is the twelfth Zoid attack this week. This time, a black Storm Sworder attacked a Pteras. No one knows who is responsible for these attacks, but they seem to be slowly wiping out the population of Zoids in the area. Inspectors are investigating-" the reporter was saying.  
  
Ariel took out the video card and ran to the computer room. She popped in the card, as well as a few others. She clicked a few times on the mouse, and 7 windows popped up on the screen. Ariel played each of them and stopped them in a particular area. She looked closely at each screen. A black raven was flying away in all the reports.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Raptor Raen, more commonly known as Shinigami, sipped at her mug slowly. Her eyes looked around, then strayed to the television. Another attack had occurred. It seemed to be routine now. Shinigami took here icy blue-silver eyes from the screen. She didn't care much about the attacks. Shinigami continued to sip her drink. She seemed to be in sort of meditating state, when something broke her concentration.  
  
"Can I sit here?"  
  
Shinigami turned her head, and was face to face with a man about her age. Jake Tsubasa was eyeing the seat next to Shinigami. Shinigami nodded slightly, acknowledging this, but said nothing.  
  
"Thanks. Fridays are always really crowed in the mornings," Jake said, and sat down across from Shinigami.  
  
He wiped some of the grease from his face with a napkin, and ordered a cappuccino. He took a long drink and then set the cup down. Jake looked at the TV.  
  
"Wow. Another attack. This is getting weird," Jake said.  
  
Shinigami was looking over the man who sat across from her. She didn't even hear his comment.  
  
"You work at a repair shop?" she said in a low voice.  
  
"Uh...Yeah. I work at Kazeyama's. I just got a break. Some guy dropped off a Zoid and I was working on it for hours."  
  
"You're Tsubasa right? I hear you're a pretty damn good repairer."  
  
Jake leaned back.  
  
"Really? Cool."  
  
"You pilot Zoids?"  
  
Jake's eye seemed to twitch, and a strange look came across his face, but then it was gone.  
  
"Nah. Repairing is enough for me."  
  
He looked down at his wristwatch.  
  
"Whoa. I'd better get going. Well, it was nice talking to you. See ya."  
  
Jake paid the waitress for his cappuccino and left with one last wave to Shinigami. Just as he exited the door, and silver fox streaked across the road. It looked after Jake and followed quickly.  
  
"You're mine firstborn," it hissed.  
  
{A/N: There. The first chapter. It's really long, so be happy. Took me a while to write it too. I also put in all the character, but it may have been centered around a few more than the others, but don't worry. Each character will have their limelight. Oh yeah, a few notes to some of the reviewers:  
  
Genofuhrer and Amrun -- I kind of changed your character's personalities a little. Sorry. If you don't like the change, please say so.  
  
lost writer -- I've decided to make your team into a team with other OC's in it. It would have been too difficult to make your team the way it was.  
  
Shadowflare - I was wondering if the Shinryu actually talked, like with human speech (or telepathy or whatever) or if it was like Bit and the Liger Zero. You know, the whole, the Liger roars and Bit somehow understands thing.  
  
Sorry to those reviewers for the slight changes. I hope you don't mind too much. But then again, I did warn you people that I would do what I had to so I could make this fanfic successful. I hope you liked the first chapter. There's more where that came from. And about the 'firstborn' talk. The demons, Inari, Enko, and Khai, refer to the organoids as 'firstborns.' Don't ask about it. And the whole 'the sky is my domain thing,' I have no idea where it came from. I just made it up. It could be the Shinryu's thoughts or Drake's or whatever. Depends on the reader. R&R. See ya.} 


	3. Of Foxes and Zoids

html{A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are great. ^^ Now, for the next chapter. Oh yeah, and I attempted to use html, so if it doesn't work right my apologies.}  
  
buChapter 2: Of Foxes and Zoids/u/b  
  
Jason sat back in the seat with his hands behind his head. His Zoid was on autopilot, and was flying high in the air, above the low, dark, storm clouds. With his eyes lightly shut, Jason was partially asleep when the screen beeped. Lazily, Jason opened one eye and looked down at the orange screen.  
  
"Unidentified object flying at speed of Mach 2.0 from northwest," the screen beeped.  
  
Jason groaned, and sat up. He turned on the radar, and saw that indeed, an object was flying toward him.  
  
"Target unidentified object with spectrum scope. Zoom-in 70%," Jason ordered the computer.  
  
"Complying..."  
  
A screen popped up in front of Jason, and it showed a strange dragon-like Zoid. The Zoid was mostly black with red eyes and gold tributes here and there. Jason squinted at the screen. He had never seen a Zoid like that before.  
  
"Pilot of the Dragon-Zoid. Who are you?" Jason open-communicated with the Zoid.  
  
The pilot obviously hadn't seen the Zabat. The Dragon-Zoid slowed down and seemed to look around. It then spotted Jason's Zabat and com-linked back.  
  
"I am Drake Lithran, pilot of the Shinryu unit. And you?"  
  
Jason noted that the pilot's voice sounded young. 'Only a teenager,' he thought to himself. Jason pulled on his controls and faced the Dragon-Zoid.  
  
"The name's Jason Pegasus," Jason said indifferently. "I'm a bounty- hunter."  
  
"Where are you headed, hunter?" Drake asked.  
  
"To the nearest city. Which would be Dranuer," Jason answered gruffly.  
  
"If you don't mind, I think I'll join you," Drake said.  
  
"Whatever..." Jason mumbled.  
  
The two aerial pilots pushed their Zoids forward, and headed toward the city Dranuer. What they didn't notice was the small dark red snake, slithering below them, moving and an amazing pace. It was intercepting the two pilots' conversations, and listening intently.  
  
"Dranuer..."  
  
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bDranuer City/b  
  
The two pilots walked into the booming city, looking around in amazement. Jason had heard wonderful things about Dranuer during his childhood, but never had he thought he would end up there. The city was said to be the most wonderful city created. And it was, in both pilots' eyes. The buildings were tall and sleek; the roads were beautifully paved and clean; everything was organized and you could get anything you could ever want.  
  
Jason hid his amazement, and turned to the younger pilot. "Well, this is where I go. Need to get my Zoid repaired and reloaded."  
  
"Yeah, sure," Drake answered, and waved as Jason turned his back and left.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
bThe Last Guard Team Base/b  
  
K.O. walked slowly into the main room, and saw Strider and Angel sprawled on the floor. His raised his eyebrow but walked right passed them. He went to the kitchen and found that someone had made coffee. K.O. poured it into a mug and took a long sip. The coffee was lukewarm, but K.O. didn't mind too much.  
  
"Ariel!" he called.  
  
The girl came into the room, with a disturbed look on her face. K.O. looked at her strangely, but continued.  
  
"Any word from the ZBC yet? About our next battle?"  
  
Ariel slowly shook her head. "No...But we have an offer for an unofficial battle."  
  
K.O. looked sternly at Ariel. "I told you before, we will only fight in official, judged, ZBC battles."  
  
"We have to fight, though, Kaneda," Ariel said.  
  
K.O. knew there was something wrong. For one thing, Ariel wasn't usually this dark and occupied. Her expression was blank and her face was pale. For another thing, no one on the team called K.O. 'Kaneda' unless something was really wrong. K.O. walked closer to Ariel and looked at her firmly.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Y-you know those attacks that have been happening lately?" Ariel asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah," K.O. answered.  
  
"I know who's responsible for them."  
  
K.O. grabbed Ariel's chin and forced her head up. He glared at her with his steel blue eyes. They were blazing.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he demanded.  
  
"S-she said that if we don't want her to destroy Dranuer City, we'll battle her," Ariel's voice was hesitant.  
  
"Who's 'she'?" K.O. said harshly.  
  
"I-I don't know... I couldn't see her face. There was too much static. And I couldn't figure out where she was calling from. There was some weird scrambling system that wouldn't let me trace the call."  
  
K.O. angrily released Ariel. He let out an irritated sigh.  
  
"Why us?" he mumbled, and rubbed his temples. "Get the other's up. What's the mode?"  
  
"0982. 5 against 5," Ariel answered.  
  
"We only have 4 members. We'll have to hire a mercenary," K.O. looked seriously annoyed. "I need to go back into Dranuer to get my Liger from the shop anyway. I'll see if I can find anyone."  
  
K.O. walked out of the kitchen, with a 'what the hell am I gonna do?' look on his face. Ariel shivered involuntarily. She had left something out when telling K.O. about the battle. She didn't tell him that the woman who they were battling was actually a demon.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
IAriel was sitting in front of the computer with seven screens open. She had zoomed in so she could see the raven clearly. They all seemed identical. But the screen suddenly went black.  
  
"Stupid old computer," Ariel said, and banged on the computer.  
  
There was a chuckled, and the screen turned back on. But there was too much static to see what was on the screen. Only a humanoid figure could be discerned through the gray lines.  
  
"Hello, human," a cold voice said.  
  
"Who are you!?" Ariel demanded.  
  
"I am Lady Inari, the greatest of all the demons. But of course, you wouldn't know that. I have not come to tell about our existence, though. I'm sure you have noticed all the attacks lately. Well, I am the one who shall take credit for it," the voice paused here and laughed. "Wonderful little planet, this Zi. So many things to destroy. So many tools to destroy with. I have already destroyed many of these 'Zoids'. But you know what my next target is? It is your beloved city Dranuer."  
  
Ariel leapt out of her chair, and looked furiously at the screen.  
  
"You can't destroy Dranuer! You just can't!" she screamed.  
  
"Now, now. That is why I am here. Before I demolish the city, I am here to offer you a chance to save it. A Zoid battle will determine the fate of Dranuer. If you win, I will not destroy it. But if you lose, I will make sure there is nothing left to even grieve over. That battle will be five Zoids against five Zoids at the coordinates H, 36. Be there at 5:00pm tomorrow, or never expect to see Dranuer in tact again."  
  
The screen shut off. All the video cards that Ariel had inserted sparked and shot out of the slots. They were useless now./I  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
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bDranuer City, near Kazeyama Repair Shop/b  
  
Jake walked briskly down the street, unaware of the creature that stalked him. He looked back down at his wristwatch.  
  
"Shit! I'm gonna be late. Better take the short-cut," he murmured.  
  
Jake started to jog. He ran into a dark alleyway, and jumped over a small, unfinished brick wall. He was still in an alleyway, and there was no one else there. The sun did not reflect on the fox-creature's silver form as it shot toward Jake. He turned around, only to see the fox leap on him. Jake fell hard on his back, with the fox on his chest, pinning him to the ground.  
  
"I have you, firstborn," the fox sneered. "There is no point hiding within your hologram. Show your true self!"  
  
Jake indeed was not a true human. He was actually an organoid with a special gift that allowed him to take the form of a human using a hologram. Enko pressed her metal paw down on Jake's throat. He gasped for air and clawed at Enko. Enko transformed to her humanoid form and looked fiercely down at Jake.  
  
"Do not play with me, firstborn!" Enko snarled.  
  
Jake glared at the demon; his dark gray eyes were cold and hard. Enko seemed to be entertained by this and seemed to smile wickedly. She grabbed Jake's neck and squeezed. Suddenly, a bolt of electricity shot through her claw-like hands into Jake who howled in pain.  
  
"I said change, firstborn!"  
  
Jake clenched his teeth and tried to break away from Enko's death grip, but that made the demon only close her hand tighter around his neck.  
  
"If won't come quietly, I have ways to forcibly make you change," Enko said, with a triumphant tone.  
  
"Demon, I will never let you win easily. If I am to lose, I will make you work for it," Jake growled.  
  
"Fool," Enko spat.  
  
She stood up and kicked Jake. Her demon powers gave Enko super-human strength, and her kick sent Jake flying. He slammed hard into the side of the alley and fell to the ground with a grunt.  
  
"Give up yet?"  
  
Jake said nothing. Enko kicked him again, and picked him up by the neck.  
  
"Change!" she yelled.  
  
"N-n-never..." Jake managed to gasp.  
  
Though Jake was an organoid, he felt physical pain. But a blow that would kill a human wouldn't kill an organoid.  
  
"Fine. I will take you to my lady, and she will deal with you personally."  
  
Enko was about to pick Jake up, when a voice was heard.  
  
"What it is, Arrow?" the voice had a dark tone to it.  
  
A screech of some sort of raptor (bird of prey) was heard, then footsteps. Enko looked down at Jake. Her eyes were blazing with hatred.  
  
"Looks like you lucked out this time firstborn. But let it be known that I Iwill/I return..." with that, Enko morphed back into her fox form and ran off.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone here?"  
  
A woman, around the age of 20, came striding into the alleyway. She had a slender build and shoulder-length hair the color of tree bark. Her piercing emerald eyes were looking this way and that, for the source of the voice she heard. She had on black jeans and a midnight blue T-shirt with suede vest. A steel heart locket was around her neck. The woman's eyes then fell on the unconscious Jake. Just then, Jake's hologram began to fail. Parts of his raven-black organoid form could be seen. The woman stared hardly down at Jake, with a look of both pity and indifference. Arrow, a peregrine falcon, swooped down from above and rested on the woman's shoulder. It twittered quietly.  
  
"Looks like we've found ourselves something here, Arrow."  
  
{A/N: There's chapter 2. If your character's not in the story yet, don't give up hope. I may still add them in. But like I said, no guarantee on them being in my story. I said I'd be picky, so I'm being picky! Hope you liked the chapter~! Please review. If you want your character to be paired up with someone specific, now that the story is finally starting to get interesting, put it in your review or email me at blue_tenshi@smapxsmap.net. If you want your character to do something specific, also email or review. That's all for now. See you.}/html 


	4. Truths

{A/N: Turns out the html stuff didn't work. So I'm not even going to try this time. Oh, and to some of those people who sent in the charas late, I'm not sure if I can fit them all in, so I may just give them a small part. I'm doing my best to fit them in, but it's hard! Anyway, I'm sorry, but please keep reviewing!}  
  
Truths  
  
K.O. walked lazily through the streets of Dranuer, looking around for anyone who even slightly resembled a decent Zoid pilot. He only saw normal pedestrians. K.O. sighed heavily as he approached Kazeyama's Repair Shop. As K.O. entered the garage, he saw that the boy that had helped him that morning was gone. Instead, a gruff old man was shuffling around the garage, mumbling to himself. K.O. looked over, and saw his green Blade Liger. It looked as if it were new.  
  
"Excuse me?" K.O. said.  
  
The man looked over.  
  
"You the kid with the Liger?" the man asked.  
  
K.O. twitched a little at "kid", but he nodded. The man motioned K.O. toward the register. After clicking a few times on the cash register, the man took a receipt from the machine, and read off the things that had been fixed. K.O. nodded at everything the man said.  
  
"Oh yeah, and Jakey said that you could try out your Liger to make sure it's even to you before you pay," the man said sternly.  
  
K.O. agreed to this, and climbed into the cockpit of his Zoid. He walked around the monstrous garage a few times, and found that not only had his Zoid's joints been fixed, they felt as if they were restored. K.O. jumped from his Zoid in total awe.  
  
"This Jake, is he a Zoid pilot by any chance?" K.O. asked slowly.  
  
The old man shook his head. "Nah. Jake says he's just into fixing them Zoids. 'No piloting!' he says. 'Just fixin' for me.' Funny kid, that Jake."  
  
K.O.'s heart sunk. He thought that if Jake was as good as a pilot as he was at repairing, they could totally win the match. K.O. thanked the man half- heartedly and piloted his Zoid out of the garage. K.O. wasn't paying attention as his Zoid plodded on.  
  
"Hey!" someone said sharply.  
  
K.O. sat up abruptly, and looked around. He found that he had nearly run over a strange dragon-type Zoid that stood in front of him. The Dragon-Zoid was growling at the Blade Liger, who was growling back.  
  
"Shin! Shut it! Anyway, could you maybe, um...not run over my Zoid?"  
  
K.O. looked sharply at the Zoid.  
  
"You a decent pilot?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Why?"  
  
"I'm offering you a job."  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Somewhere...  
  
Shane Ares looked down at the boy... organoid. The hologram was weakening even more. Shane could clearly see the organoid's true form through the translucent picture of a human that spread itself around the raven black organoid.  
  
Shane turned away from the organoid. She was unsure why she had saved the unconscious form. She had no need to use it, and she wasn't some goody-too- shoes. Arrow, Shane's peregrine falcon, was perched comfortably on Shane's gloved fist. Shane gently stroked Arrow's breast feathers. Shane's Zoid, the Gryphantom, was lying contently on the ground next to the log Shane was sitting on. The Gryphantom was a particularly impressive Zoid, mostly because of its type. The Gryphantom was a Gryphon-type Zoid, meaning it had both flight and land capabilities.  
  
Jake stirred. Shane stiffened, and turned toward the awakening organoid. Arrow took off into the sky. The dark eyes of the organoid lit up, and the closed eyes of the hologram opened. It took awhile for the organoid to get oriented, but as soon as Jake came back into total consciousness, his human eyes widened. He looked down at himself. Shane just glared.  
  
"Take down your hologram, organoid," Shane growled.  
  
Jake stared at Shane, neither his human nor organoid eyes showing any emotion. The hologram dropped, and the organoid stood. Shane stayed sitting on the log, calmly looking at the organoid. She clearly saw the tail of the organoid, nicely decorated with four spikes, twitch a little.  
  
"So, you have figured out my true form, human. If you were not the one who saved me, I would have no choice but to dispose of you. But because of you, I am standing here before you. For that, I am grateful," the black organoid gave a slight bow.  
  
Shane had a look of slight content on her face. "You're an organoid huh? You have a name?"  
  
"The name that I have adopted is Jake Tsubasa. But my true name is Exile."  
  
"Exile? I approve," Shane nodded, satisfied.  
  
"And you, human?" Exile asked.  
  
"Shane Ares. Call me Griffy I suppose," Shane said with a shrug. "And that," Shane pointed to the circling falcon. "is Arrow."  
  
Arrow gave a shrill cry. Exile looked up at the falcon.  
  
"Greetings to you, sister falcon," Exile said, looking up at the falcon.  
  
Shane looked back at the organoid, who was watching the raptor, circle around the cloudless sky. There seemed to be a slight look of awe and envy sparkling in his eyes.  
  
"Well, I guess you'd better get going now, huh?" Shane said.  
  
Exile took his eyes from the sky, and looked at Shane with his sleek silver eyes. The two stared at each other for a long while. Exile then slowly shook his head.  
  
"You saved my life. I am in debt to you. Whether you approve or not, I will travel with you and protect you."  
  
Shane scoffed. "Sorry, but I don't need a body guard. Or an organoid for that matter. Besides, won't someone miss that human form you were in?"  
  
Before Exile could answer, something screamed over them. Exile hastily put his hologram up, and looked toward the sky. A Zabat was flying at full- speed, while a swarm of Saicurtises flew around it. Thin twin beams shot from the small guns at the end of the beetle-Zoids' pincers. Shane stood, and ran to her Zoid.  
  
"Gryph," she growled. "Let's get going."  
  
The Gryphantom let out a bellow, and opened its massive wings. The engines roared to life as the Gryphantom took to the skies. As it approached the nearest Saicurtis, the front claws of the Gryphon-Zoid started to glow. The Strike Laser Claw took out three of the beetles with one swipe. But there was more Saicurtises than Shane had thought. The Zabat was fighting wildly with the Saicurtises. Missiles were flying and guns were blaring. It seemed like a hopeless fight.  
  
"Zabat! Drop your altitude. Now! Do it!" Shane said, just as the pilot was about to argue.  
  
With somewhat reluctance, the Zabat tucked its wings into a nose-dive. Shane turned her Zoid toward the Saicurtises.  
  
"Eat this!"  
  
A Charged Particle Beam shot out of the mouth of the Gryphantom. Shane and her Zoid flew backwards due the recoil, but the Saicurtises disintegrated in the beam. Shane wearily landed her Zoid on the ground. Firing a Charged Particle Cannon in midair always took a lot out of her. Shane stepped out of the cockpit, and saw that Exile, or more Jake, had just stood around and done nothing. She would yell at him later. But first, she looked over at the Zabat. Jason Pegasus stepped out.  
  
"Thanks. I was really tied up there," he said with a half-hearted laugh.  
  
Shane shrugged. "No big. But why were those Zoids attacking you?"  
  
"I-I don't know," Jason admitted.  
  
"Strange..." Jake said suddenly.  
  
Both pilots looked over at him.  
  
"None of those Zoids had pilots in their cockpits," Jake said so quietly, that the other two had to lean forward to hear him.  
  
"So they were rogue Zoids, who gives?"  
  
Jake turned. "They were command Zoids, meaning the only way they can move is with a pilot. The Saicurtises are simple Zoids with no AI installed in them."  
  
The three were quiet.  
  
"Then...then how did those Zoids move?"  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
The fox cowered into the shadows, as the demon came closer. A red flame was rising around her, engulfing her in blazing red anger. Inari's eyes were burning red, and she was shaking with rage.  
  
"You let the firstborn escape?!" she roared.  
  
"I beg for forgiveness my lady," Enko said, fear consuming her.  
  
Inari's fists were clenched as she turned away in disgust. She grinded her teeth in annoyance.  
  
"I will give you another chance, just as I had Khai. But you shall not fail me this time."  
  
"Yes, my lady."  
  
"Well, I'd better get back to more pressing matters. Khai!"  
  
A blood red snake appeared before the demon queen. It changed into its humanoid form, and bowed.  
  
"It is just as you anticipated. The dragon-boy is in place, my lady."  
  
"Good. Now the fun begins."  
  
There was a low growl from behind her. A pair of red eyes appeared in the shadows. And high above them, a piercing screech was let off, and the sound of wings and roaring engines was not far off.  
  
"Let the battle begin."  
  
{A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! You're the people who've kept me writing! And sorry to Amrun for the mistake. I don't know why I put black instead of green. o.O; Anyway, sorry again!} 


	5. Battle for Dranuer

Battle for Dranuer  
  
Dust rose in the wind, as the sand shifted beneath the feet of the five Zoids. The two Blade Ligers were standing at the head of the group, while the Reaper-Zero, Helcat, and Shinryu stood in the back.  
  
"So, any idea what Zoids we're up against?" Strider asked anxiously.  
  
K.O. shook his head. "No, not a clue."  
  
Drake bit his lip impatiently. "I'm going up. I'll radio in if I see anything."  
  
With that, the Shinryu took off into the slowly darkening sky. There was another moment of silence. Ariel gripped the controls of Gash, her Helcat, and looked around uneasily. Angel sat back in her Zoid, her arms crossed, and her eyes scanning the desert. The emotion on K.O.'s face was unreadable as he sat ready in his Zoid. Strider was tense, but ready. His hands were wrapped around the controls, as if a Lightning Saix would jump out and attack him at any given moment.  
  
"So, you have decided to show up," a mocking voice laughed.  
  
All five pilots readied their Zoids, but said nothing.  
  
"Quiet group aren't we? Well, you won't be quiet for long. Area scanned, battlefield set up. Ready? Fight!"  
  
Out of nowhere, a black Gunsniper shot out. It struck the Reaper-Zero, knocking it over.  
  
"What the-?" Angel started to say.  
  
But by then, two more Zoids shot out from some unseen hiding place. A black Genosaurer with blue omitting eyes swiped its tail around at Gash. But the swift Helcat jumped just in time. It landed on its feet and disappeared. Whilst the Genosaurer combated with its unseen foe, the Reaper-Zero was brutally attacking the amazingly fast Gunsniper.  
  
"Stupid, stupid Gunsniper..." Angel mumbled.  
  
A barrage of missiles came from the Gunsniper, and slammed into the Reaper- Zero. Angel's Zoid staggered backwards, stunned for a couple seconds. That couple seconds was just enough time for the Gunsniper to come ramming into the Reaper. But the Reaper landed neatly on its feet, and launched itself at the Gunsniper with its powerful back legs. The Zoid rammed into the opposing Zoid, and both went tumbling to the ground.  
  
The Helcat and Genosaurer were having troubles as well. The Genosaurer was rapidly shooting its laser Gatling rifle in all directions, roaring with all of its might and fury. The Helcat swiftly avoided the shots, but was having trouble getting near enough to attack the berserk Genosaurer. The Helcat growled in annoyance as it dodged another Gatling blast, disallowing it to get any closer to the Genosaurer. The Genosaurer finally swept its tail again, this time catching Gash in the gut. The clocking system failed, and the Helcat reappeared and fell to the ground.  
  
"Ariel!" Strider yelled, and pushed his controls toward the Helcat.  
  
But there was a black blur, and the Blade Liger fell to the ground. It quickly jumped to its feet, and faced its assailant. The black Konig Wolf let out an eerie howl, and charged the Liger. Strider met the charge with a charge of his own. The two Zoids clashed, and went all out, biting scratching, roaring. The Wolf and the Liger were in a totally deadlock, unable to get free, only able to attack.  
  
K.O. turned away from the battles raging around him. There were still two Zoids he needed to worry about, and he was sure the others were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.  
  
"Pick up anything Drake?" K.O. asked.  
  
There was a moment of static, then, "No. Nothing."  
  
But K.O. pulled on his controls, and the green Blade Liger leapt out of the way, just as a Triple Super Charged Particle Beam swept by. K.O. tightly gripped his controls, and turned. Something was approaching. There was a sharp yell from the sky, and K.O. knew that Drake had found his opponent as well. But he didn't care about that at the moment. All he needed to care about was the enemy before him. The Berserk Fuhrer Storm Unit, a.k.a. the Storm Fuhrer, came lumbering into view. It raised its head in a triumphant roar. K.O. didn't wait for the Zoid to lower its head. He didn't care about respect and all the crap. He just wanted a good, fast battle. The Liger lowered its blades and sped forward. Its blade struck, but didn't go through. The blade had struck blade, and now it was a battle of strength, to see which Zoid could push the other back. The Zoids pushed on the blades, trying to push the opponent backwards, unsuccessfully. After a few minutes of no movement, there was a cracking noise. The two blades then snapped, and both Zoids stumbled forward. The Storm Fuhrer quickly turned and charged its other blade and brought it down on the Liger. The Liger dodged swiftly, and leapt. The Fuhrer turned around and turned its shield on, blocking the attack. Both Zoids stared each other down as they circled, each daring the other to make the first move. Both Zoids finally charged, and collided with the other.  
  
In the sky, Drake was leisurely flying around, not sensing any danger. But the battle began, and he saw the strange Zoids attacking. He wanted to help, but he felt his Zoid saying that they had their own opponent to wait for. And sure enough, the Zoid came. A huge impact knocked the Shinryu Unit back.  
  
"A Sonic Boom?" Drake wondered.  
  
But he had no time to finish his thought. The blazing Raynos came back for round 2. Its wing cutters opened up, and it sped passed the Shinryu, Drake, only inches away from being sliced in half.  
  
"Raynoses don't have wing cutters!" Drake thought aloud.  
  
But he didn't wait for the Raynos to come back. He charged after it, cannons blaring. The Raynos easily avoided the assault, and flew up into the sky. It turned around and came plummeting toward Shin and Drake. Drake turned the controls and blasted up to meet the Raynos.  
  
"You wanna play chicken? Come on! I can take you!"  
  
But Drake suddenly jerked the controls, and let the Raynos fly by. Drake plummeted after the Raynos, now on its tail. He fired two missiles toward the Raynos. Just as he anticipated, the Raynos easily dodged the missiles, and increased its altitude.  
  
"Gotcha!" Drake yelled in triumph. "Strike, Inferno...CLAW!!"  
  
The claw slashed down on the Raynos, nicking its wing. The Raynos spun out of control, and plunged downwards. Smoke billowed from the wingtips as the Raynos came closer and closer to the ground. Finally, at the last moment, the Raynos was able to pull up, and skidded across the desert floor.  
  
"Hah!" Drakes shouted, and flew his Zoid in tight loops.  
  
"Drake, good job and all, BUT I COULD USE SOME HELP!"  
  
Drake's head snapped around, and he saw the black Genosaurer, charging its Charged Particle Cannon and aiming toward Gash and Ariel.  
  
"No problemo."  
  
The Shinryu came down, and rammed into the Genosaurer. The beam flew wide, and streaked across the desert, scarring it but nothing else.  
  
"Relax, a bit, yeesh," Drake said, looking at the tensed Helcat.  
  
Ariel relaxed about three hairs. She spun and ran to help Angel with the Gunsniper, which was currently trying to blast the Reaper-Zero off its back with missiles. As the Gunsniper raised its head to roar defiantly, Gash came in and slashed at the Sniper's throat, cutting many vital wires. The Gunsniper fell to the ground, with the Reaper-Zero on top of it.  
  
"Thanks," Angel managed to gasp out.  
  
Strider was still in a deadlock with the black Konig Wolf. Its claws were in his face, and he couldn't see anything. He kicked with his back leg, and felt it smash into the opposing Zoid. Sure enough, the Konig Wolf stumbled backwards, off the Blade Liger. Strider attacked, and opened his blades. He jumped sideways, and slashed the right side of the Konig Wolf. The Wolf howled in pain, and staggered sideways, giving Strider another clear slash. Soon the Wolf was down, covered in gashes from the Blade Liger's blades. Strider wiped his forehead with the back of his arm.  
  
"Whew," he sighed.  
  
The Storm Fuhrer got up, as did the green Blade Liger. K.O.'s eyes were blazing, and there seemed to be a slight smirk on his face. The two Zoids charged again, and slashed at each other with their remaining blade. K.O. spun his Zoid around and pounced. The Fuhrer spun and caught the Liger on the side of the head with its tail. The Liger fell to the ground.  
  
"Come on Liger! Get up! We can't afford to lose this one!"  
  
The Blade Liger slowly stood, only to get knocked down once again by the Fuhrer. The Fuhrer approached the Liger slowly. It stood a few meters away, and opened its mouth. A ball of energy began to form. The smile on K.O.'s face grew. The Liger suddenly jumped up and slashed the Fuhrer's neck with its blade. The Fuhrer, stuck charging its beam, could do nothing to defend itself. It fell backwards, letting the Charged Particle Beam fly up into the air. The Fuhrer tried to bring its head down toward the Liger, but a paw on the throat was disallowing it. The beam finally died, and K.O. was ready to finish the Fuhrer off. But just as he lifted the Liger's paw to strike down, he stopped.  
  
"K.O.! You can't!" Angel's cry rang through his head.  
  
K.O. froze, not knowing what to do.  
  
"K.O.!!" Angel said, more harshly this time. "Put, the paw, DOWN."  
  
With some reluctance, K.O. lowered the paw of the Liger, and stepped away from the Fuhrer. The other four, no less worn out, Zoids approached the green Blade Liger and their captain.  
  
"We can't destroy these Zoids or pilots," Angel said flatly.  
  
"Why?" K.O. growled.  
  
"Because they're not themselves. They're under some weird spell. I think one has broken out of it though," Strider said, and turned toward the Konig Wolf.  
  
It wearily stood to its feet, and looked around wildly.  
  
"W-where am I?"  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Three shapes say around a fire, sipping coffee, as the night grew darker. They huddled closer to their small source of heat and light, but remained mostly silent. Finally, Jake stood up.  
  
"I think we should all get some rest now. It's no use staying up all night worrying about one attack," he said.  
  
"This coming from the guy who did absolutely nothing during the fight," Jason glowered.  
  
Jake looked as if he were going to say something else, but stopped, and sat down silently.  
  
"I think he's right though, Jason," Shane said from the spot on the log.  
  
The two men looked at her. She had her eyes closed and was calmly sipping her coffee.  
  
"Not that we'll get much sleep with the coffee, but we might as well try."  
  
Jason scoffed, but didn't argue. He stood up and stretched.  
  
"We'd better have someone on watch though. I'll take second shift if you don't mind. I think the do-nothing-boy over here should take first watch."  
  
"I'll be glad to," Jake said, and stood up nonchalantly.  
  
"It's settled then," Shane stood up. "We only have two tents anyway."  
  
The three said goodnight, and went to their designated areas. Jake sat down on the log, and watched the slowly dying flames. He remembered fires blazing as buildings were destroyed. He remembered Zoids being used to destroy cities and people. He remembered the Deathsaurer.  
  
"The one bad thing about being and android," Jake thought bitterly. "You remember things forever."  
  
He shuddered and tried to throw the thought away. But it lingered even as he went into the tent to wake Jason for the next shift. 


	6. Pinioned

Pinioned  
  
Jason was restless. He stood from the log and walked around the fire. Even when Jake had come to wake him, he hadn't been asleep. Something was bothering him; making him worry, but he didn't know what. Jason walked around the camp, a silent shadow in the flickering lights of the fire. He suddenly froze. He sensed something. He felt like he was being watched. Lithely, Jason put his hand on his gun holster and looked around. There was a slight cracking of leaves, and Jason's head snapped around. He nimbly ran into the trees. The crackling was farther away. He kept running, like a lone wolf after a stag. Jason leapt out the bushes and into a clearing. His eyes batted around, looking for the source of the noise and he raised his gun. Then, he saw it: a dark shape in the shadows of the trees.  
  
"Come out of your hiding place!" Jason barked.  
  
The shape hesitated, then stepped out in the light of the full moon. Jason was transfixed. He blinked a few times, but held fast.  
  
'What's a woman doing this late out at night?' he thought.  
  
"Why raise your gun? I am not armed," the woman said, and raised her arms showing her palms. A gesture of surrender.  
  
Jason involuntarily shivered at her voice. "Don't move."  
  
"Would you shoot me?" the woman inquired, with a slight sense of derision in her voice.  
  
Jason stared at the woman, but said nothing. He kept his gun aimed at her chest. Then Jason's eyes began to blur. He shook his head and blinked, until his eyesight returned. Startled, Jason took an instinctive step back. The woman had somehow gotten so close to him, the muzzle of his gun was almost touching her.  
  
"Lower your gun," the woman said.  
  
The voice sounded so faint to Jason. It sounded as if someone where trying to speak to him from the other end of a long highway tunnel. But to Jason's horror and amazement, he felt part himself wanting to comply. His head was swimming and filled with a red haze. He felt light, as if he could leap into the air and fly away with the wind. Jason was confused; part of his mind wanting to do whatever this lady told him to, the other part wondering why he had to do it. But finally, the confused and questioning Jason succumbed to the slightly dazed and dog-happy Jason, and he slowly lowered his gun. His arm fell limply by his side, and the gun clattered to the ground.  
  
The she-demon smiled, showing hungry white fangs, waiting to be stained with blood. A human's blood. Jason's blood. Inari placed her hands on Jason's chest. Jason gasped. Her hands were like ice, and the cold seeped through Jason's clothes and skin to fill his whole body. The demon smiled at the human's distress.  
  
"Such a strong heart," she purred, and slowly placed her hands over his heart.  
  
Jason tried to pull away. He wanted to pull away. What was this woman doing?! Jason wanted to get away from the iron touch of this lady. He wanted to go back to the others. But he couldn't. He felt the darkness in his mind. He tried to fight the reddening haze, and regain control of his mind.  
  
'She's in my head!' he screamed internally. 'Get out! Leave me alone!'  
  
The darkness covered his consciousness. Jason could not longer think for himself. Everything was blurry and he couldn't even make out one single thought for himself. The red haze in Jason's mind grew, until that was all he could see within his skull. There was a faint voice in the background. What was the voice saying? Jason couldn't think. He couldn't comprehend. He fought, and regained a little control of his mind. He saw the demon-woman clasp her clawed hand around his right wrist, and pull it up to her mouth. Jason tried to yell, to scream, to call for help, but he could only watch the horror unfold. The demon put her mouth to his arm, and Jason could practically feel the eagerness. Then, there was a sharp pain. Jason wanted to cry out, but he couldn't. The demon was draining the life and blood from him. Jason felt his knees weakening, felt his body slump, felt his head fall to his chest. Inari lifted his chin and looked him in his drooping eyes. He saw crescent feline eyes glowing in the moonlight.  
  
"You will not remember any of this. Now go. Return to camp. Rest, until I call for you," Inari said with a smirk.  
  
"I...will remember nothing..." Jason murmured.  
  
He pulled away and walked like a zombie back to the others. Inari watched the human, and smiled. A snake appeared behind her.  
  
"The Last Guard Team has defeated the Kreuz Team. They have figured out what has happened to the pilots," Khai said, meekly.  
  
Inari simpered. "All the better. Get in position. Round two will begin shortly."  
  
With that, both shapes disappeared into nothingness.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
The five pilots stood around the girl. She was huddled on the ground, hugging her knees. The girl had dark brown eyes and dark skin. Her hair was pulled into one long, black braid, but with one strand of red hair hanging limply in front of her face. The pilots could also see black wolf ears that seemed to be covered at one point.  
  
"So, you remember nothing?" Ariel inquired, trying to sound as calm and soothing as possible, though she wanted to yell and scream and stomp on the ground.  
  
The girl looked coldly up at Ariel. "I told you all I know. My mind...is fuzzy...Maybe, I'll remember something later...I'm just really tired," the girl said, irritated. She turned away and rubbed her temples.  
  
Ariel looked like she was about to raise her voice when Angel caught her arm. "What about the other pilots? I think we should take them back to the base."  
  
"Well, why tell me? I ain't the cap'n," Ariel said gruffly.  
  
Angel snorted and turned to K.O. "Well?"  
  
K.O. had an apathetic look on his face. He started to say no, but the girls glared at him, and K.O. froze. Strider tried to stifle a laugh in the background, but failed. K.O. scowled at him.  
  
"Fine, fine!" he finally said. "Whatever..."  
  
Strider stood up and saluted. "Well then fearless leader! Permission to go fetch the Whale King!" he tried to keep a straight face, but he failed again, and busted out laughing.  
  
"Just GO already!" K.O. snarled.  
  
Strider saluted again, and ran off toward the parked Whale King. Stride motioned Drake to come too, and Drake shrugged and followed. The two girls and K.O. were left to pull the remaining pilots out of their cockpits. The girl with the ears fainted, so they dragged her into the Whale King as well. After about and hour, the girl awoke once again. She and the rest of the unconscious pilots had been moved into the Last Guard Team base. She sat up with a start.  
  
"Oh no!" she yelled.  
  
"What?" Angel said, and raised her eyebrow.  
  
"I forgot about Chemuk!" the girl yelped and ran out of the room.  
  
"Che-what?" Angel wondered.  
  
But she got up and followed the wolf-girl out of the room to the hangar. She stood on the bridge and looked down. There was some black shape near the Konig Wolf. Angel leaned against the rail, and watched. The wolf-girl ran to the black shape, and kneeled down. She seemed to be saying something, but Angel couldn't hear. Finally, Angel sighed, and jumped over the railing.  
  
"A wolf?"  
  
The girl glared. "Chemuk. She's an organoid, not a wolf."  
  
"An organoid eh? Okay. But you, still have some answering to do. You seem well enough to run all the way here anyway," Angel said, and grabbed the girl's wrist. "Let's go."  
  
"But Chemuk-"  
  
"Don't worry. Hey! Ariel! Injured organoid thing here! Check it over for the girl okay!?"  
  
The two walked out of the hangar. Angel lugged her into an empty room, and sat her down on a couch. Angel sat down opposite to her.  
  
"Okay, now the interrogation begins. First off, what's your name, what team do you belong to, and what Zoid do you pilot?"  
  
"I'm Amrit Harusame of the Kreuz Team. My teammates call me 'Rit though. I pilot a black Konig Wolf called Caelestis Storm," 'Rit said.  
  
Angel nodded. "I assume your other teammates are the rest of those people?" She gestured toward the hallway.  
  
'Rit nodded.  
  
"Alright then. Why were you fighting for that demon-lady?"  
  
"I...Let me think...I don't exactly remember what happened. I remember...We had just won our fifth battle, and we were celebrating. The lights went out. We were trying to find the emergency power switch when we realized -- Oh my God! Where's Vega!?" 'Rit stood up, panic in her eyes. "Where is he?! Is he okay?"  
  
Angel grabbed her arm and yanked 'Rit downward. "All your teammates are doing fine. They haven't woken up yet, but they're not going to die any time soon. Now finish answering the question."  
  
'Rit took a deep breath. "Okay. So the lights were out, and we realized Vega, our captian, was missing. We'd though he went to go find the power switch like us, but it's not like him to go somewhere without confronting the rest of us. He is our captain after all. Then the lights came back on. We searched for Vega, and found him propped against his bed in his room. There was a nasty wound on his right arm. It looked as if an animal had bitten him, but I knew it wasn't Chemuk. Chemuk hadn't left my side, and besides, she knows better than to bite Vega. The scary thing was, though, that Vega's eyes were wide open. They had sort of a distant look to them, and looked a little red. We shook him awake, and he started freaking out. He wouldn't let us come near him. Then the rest of us heard a voice...Vega stopped yelling. He fell into some sort of trance. Then, we heard this horrible noise. I tried to cover my ears, but the sound went right through. And through the noise I heard a voice. It said, 'Come to me. Listen. Lend me your flesh and fight.' We fell into sort of a trance after that. The voice gave us orders and all we could do was follow them."  
  
Angel was silent. Then she spoke. "So, we're dealing with some sort of demon vampire here?"  
  
'Rit shook her head. "No. She only took Vega's blood. I don't know what happens to those she drinks blood from, but the rest of us were untouched. It was just the noise and the voice...Some sort of spell."  
  
"Well, what happens to those she sucks blood from?" Angel asked.  
  
"I really don't know."  
  
{A/N: Mwahahahaha! What do you think? Now it's getting all supernatural isn't it? This is where the weird stuff starts happening, so yeah. Like I said before, you mustn't care what I do to your characters too much, because a lot of bad stuff is going to happen to them. What you ask? I'm not telling. XP You'll just have to find out for yourself.} 


	7. Arrival

Arrival  
  
The Blade Sniper trudged along the vast sea of green grass. Its sleek body slid quickly through the meadow as it switched its gait to a trot. The Zoid suddenly stopped. It raised its head and stood completely still, as if straining to hear something. There was a sudden burst of electricity, and the Blade Sniper fell to the ground. A black Berserk Fuhrer-looking Zoid walked up to the downed Zoid. It flared its flaming wings and roared.  
  
"Who are you?" the pilot of the Fuhrer asked.  
  
Kat knew there was nothing she could do. She had sensed the Zoid arriving, but she didn't think it would attack. Kat crossed her arms.  
  
"I should be asking you that, since you paralyzed my Zoid without even finding out who I was."  
  
"This area is a Zoid reserve. You shouldn't be here," Shinigami answered.  
  
"What are you doing here then?" Kat shot back.  
  
The Blade Sniper growled, reflecting its pilot's annoyance. The Death Raptor growled back.  
  
"I was hired to monitor the area. I needed some extra cash, and this was the only good job I could find," Shinigami spat.  
  
The electricity was beginning to wear off. Kat found that she could move the Blade Sniper's legs now. The Zoid stood up and faced the Death Raptor.  
  
"I didn't know this was a reserve. I just happened to stumble across this area. I've been traveling for a long while and I was looking for somewhere to rest."  
  
The Death Raptor nodded its head in an eastern direction. "The city of Dranuer is not far that way."  
  
"Alright. Thanks," the Blade Sniper nodded its head slightly and turned in the direction of Dranuer.  
  
But just as Kat took a step forward, there was a rumbling. Both Zoids backed up. The rumbling grew, and finally there was what seemed to be an explosion. The Death Raptor and Blade Sniper were thrown backwards and onto the ground. A Death Stinger burst out of the ground. Its pincers were wide open as it stared down at the two Zoids that weren't even half its size.  
  
"What the hell!?" Kat exclaimed.  
  
The Blade Sniper was on its feet in a flash. It leapt toward the Stinger, which just tossed the cheetah-type Zoid aside. The Sniper got back up and charged again. Again, the Stinger flicked the Zoid away.  
  
"What's with this thing?!" Kat yelled in frustration.  
  
"It's...The Death Stinger!" Shinigami said in awe.  
  
"No way! That thing was destroyed for good when the Backdraft was over thrown. This must be some mock-up or something..." But Kat knew she was only kidding herself. This thing was indeed the Death Stinger.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
The Kreuz Team soon recovered from their encounter with the demon-woman. All except for Vega. He was still lying in his room, eyes closed. It was have seemed he was dead, if his heart hadn't still been beating. The members were silent in the room, mourning. Jamie Hermeros, the pilot of the Raynos and former member of the infamous Blitz Team was sitting in a chair, head down resting on his knuckles. Ryo Strat, known as Cloud, stood mutely next to Rit who was kneeling at the bedside, Vega's hand tightly clasped in hers. The only one who didn't seem to be in bereavement was Nick Blaze, more commonly known as Death. He hadn't been on the team because he wanted to. Not really. He had never loved or even liked his captain. All he had was respect for Vega Obscura. Nothing more, nothing less.  
  
K.O. stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He bit his lip. That demon-lady had done this to the Kreuz Team. What was stopping her from doing the same to his? K.O. walked away.  
  
'And what if she does come after us? Then what?' he pondered.  
  
As he walked through the hallway, he abruptly punched the wall. The wall shuddered under the impact. How could he stop this thing? Where did it come from? Why is it here? Questions swam in K.O.'s head. He couldn't stand it anymore. He turned and punched the other wall. He punched it again. And again. K.O. continued to punch the wall until the wall was decorated with a large dent. His knuckles were bloody. K.O. walked away. Angel, Ariel, and Strider came running down the hall.  
  
"What's going on?" Ariel asked in panic.  
  
K.O. walked passed them without a word. They prodded him, trying to get something out of him, but they knew he wouldn't have any of it. They left him alone to walk around as he pleased. Ariel sat down on the couch. Drake walked up in front of her, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"Look. I fought your battle, we won. I get paid, and I leave. That's how the merc business works."  
  
Ariel blew up. "What the HELL are you talking about!? We've won absolutely nothing! That stupid demon is still out there trying to destroy Zi! Did you see what she did to the Kreuz Team?! To Vega?! That could happen to any one of us! And now you're standing here saying you want some damn cash and bail on us?! FINE! Damn you! Damn that demon! Damn this world!!! I'm out!"  
  
Ariel stomped off and locked herself in the control room. Drake stood alone in the room. He scowled and walked away to the hangar. The sun began to set over the Last Guard Team base.  
  
A dark figure stood in a tree, leaning against the trunk. A smirk covered the fox-demon's face.  
  
"The humans are in distress. They do not know what to do. Now, they are not only being destroyed physically, but mentally as well. Soon enough, they may destroy themselves. Lady Inari will be most pleased."  
  
Enko turned and jumped off the trees. She stole one last glance at the base, and ran off into the slowly dying day.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Shane awoke with a sudden screech from Arrow.  
  
"Ah! I'm up!" Shane yelled.  
  
Arrow fluttered her wings. Shane looked glumly at the falcon and cocked her eyebrow.  
  
"It's times like these I wish I'd kept that cute little turtle," Shane grumbled and turned away from Arrow.  
  
The falcon puffed up her feathers and flew off, as if insulted. Shane smiled in her sleeping bag. The she sat up.  
  
"Wait a second? Jason never woke me up for watch!"  
  
Shane stumbled out of the tent and looked over. Jason was cooking something with Jake over a small fire. He turned to Shane and grinned.  
  
"Morning."  
  
Shane glared angrily at Jason. She pointed an accusing finger.  
  
"You, were suppose to wake me up for watch!"  
  
"Sorry, sheesh. I just thought I'd take the whole rest of the night. You were sleeping so soundly anyway, and I couldn't sleep," Jason said casually with a shrug. "If anything, I'd thought you'd be happy that I didn't wake you up."  
  
But Shane stomped over to Jason and whacked him over the head. Jason stood up and held his head.  
  
"Ow! Damnit! What the hell was that for?!"  
  
"Jerk," Shane said with a slight grin.  
  
Jason cocked his eyebrow, and lunged toward Shane. But as he neared her, he stopped. He put his hands over his mouth, and backed away, eyes wide.  
  
"What's wrong Jason?" Jake said, and stood up from the bacon he was frying.  
  
Jason shook his head and ran off into the woods. He stumbled through the bushes and fell, scrapping his knees. He took his hands away from his mouth and looked down at them. They were trembling.  
  
"What's...happening?" he said in a shaky voice.  
  
When Shane had gotten near him, he had smelt blood. Fresh, warm, healthy blood pumping through every vein and artery in her body. When he had gotten a whiff of it, he had a sudden urge to want to taste it. He wanted to feel the warmth of the blood spilling into his mouth seeping through his -- No! Jason thought to himself suddenly. He clutched his head.  
  
"Jason? Hello? Are you okay? Jason! Where did you go?!" Shane called.  
  
Her voice was distant. Jason scrambled to his feet. He couldn't get near her again. The same gnawing hunger...  
  
'Don't think about it,' Jason ordered himself.  
  
He heard footsteps approaching. Jason ran. He ran away from Shane, from the footsteps, from the hunger. He kept running and running until he felt a rumbling. Jason turned and found his Zabat behind him. But as he walked toward the Zoid, he tripped over something. A gun. Jason stared at it. He didn't remember ever drawing his gun. Jason felt the holster. Empty. Confused, Jason picked the gun up and continued to walk toward the Zabat. A sudden wave of nausea hit him and Jason stumbled forward and grabbed onto his Zoid. Jason felt the Zoid tremble under his touch. The Zabat knew something was wrong with its pilot. It wanted to fly away. It wanted to get away from this creature that hungered for flesh, blood, and life force. Only the Zabat's extreme loyalty for its pilot kept it there. Jason tried to pull himself to his feet, but he let go and fell to the ground. He looked down at his hands again. He had felt the life force of the Zoid flowing through the Zoid Core of his Zabat. Another spasm of hunger hit Jason as he lurched away from the Zoid.  
  
"What's happening to me?!" he cried out.  
  
Jason managed to stagger a few steps away from the Zoid, then fell to his knees. His eyes were wide with alarm. He didn't know what was happening. He didn't know why he had this excruciating hunger for blood and life energy. He didn't know what had happened before he had fallen asleep.  
  
'If only I knew,' Jason thought as he stood on all fours, clutching the earth with his hands, staring down at the whirling green and brown spiral below him.  
  
{A/N: Getting better? Am I reeling you fishies in? Hehe... Don't worry, I'll update soon enough... Just wait like good little boys and girls and you will get the update you want. Just don't forget to review! ^.~} 


	8. Damned

Damned  
  
Jason, after many hours, finally overcame the hunger. Mostly at least. He still felt it, but he was able to control it. Jason walked back to the camp. Fours eyes stared back at him in surprise.  
  
"Jason!" Jake said, and stood up. He looked somewhat relieved.  
  
Shane stayed sitting, but looked up Jason with a worried look.  
  
"Are you okay?" she said quietly.  
  
"Yeah. I'm good. I just felt kind of sick. I'm fine now," Jason reassured her.  
  
Shane laughed. "You're such a damned liar."  
  
Shane shook her head. She then spotted the puncture wound on Jason's arm.  
  
"What happened?" Shane said, indicating the wound.  
  
Jason looked down at it, slightly stunned.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"I'll get some bandages and stuff," Jake volunteered, and walked away.  
  
Shane stood up and held her hand out. Jason obediently put his arm in her hand. Shane looked closely down at the arm. Jake came back bearing a bundle of cloth and pot of water. He put the pot over the fire. Shane started to clean the wound, but as soon as she rubbed away all the dry blood and dirt, a thick, dark liquid began to ooze out of the puncture wounds. Jason gritted his teeth at the pain, but held still. Shane wiped the vile fluid away with a cloth, and bandaged Jason's arm.  
  
"There."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Shane shrugged and stood up. Jason clutched at his knees as he felt the hunger for Shane's blood returning. 'No,' he told himself, but he could still sense the blood pumping through Shane's body.  
  
"Griffy!" Jake called.  
  
Shane turned around.  
  
"I'm going to go for a walk or something. All this stuff is making me feel claustrophobic," Jake said.  
  
Shane cocked her eyebrow but nodded. Jason watched the boy leave the clearing. Jason was confused though. He felt Shane's blood, but he didn't feel Jake's. What he felt in the strange boy was... life force?  
  
'Couldn't be,' Jason thought, and pushed the thought aside.  
  
But he was hunger. He had to eat. But he had no hunger for anything but blood and life force. Jake disappeared into the trees. Jason had a bad feeling about the woods. He felt as if something bad was in the woods. Like something bad had happened in the woods... to him?  
  
"You want anything to eat Jason?"  
  
Shane's voice. Jason felt the hunger getting stronger. He wanted to yell out 'YES!' But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't give in to this hunger, this powerful hunger that was starting to control him. He craved blood. He wanted to feel the warm saltiness dribbling down his throat, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't harm anything...or anyone.  
  
"No. I'm not real hungry. Just tired. Mind if I go to sleep first?"  
  
Shane gave Jason a suspicious look, but nodded her head. Jason smiled back inadequately and walked into his tent. Shane watched the tent for a few minutes, sensing something wrong with Jason. He didn't seem any different, but she knew he was. Shane bit her lip, and turned back to her dinner.  
  
--------------------------------  
  
Jake walked through the woods, silently and cautiously. He knew something was out there. Something was wrong with the human, Jason. He didn't act any different, but Jake knew. He dropped his hologram, and slid skillfully through the shadows, unseen by anything, not even the owls. Exile sensed something foul in the air. It felt thick and sticky to the organoid. To someone else, it may just have felt like humidity, but Exile knew better. He was an old organoid. He knew. The sense was faded and felt somewhat old, but Exile knew that the intruder would not be far.  
  
"So, the firstborn did come."  
  
Exile spun around. A woman stood behind him.  
  
'How did she get back there?!' Exile thought to himself in slight panic. 'I didn't even sense her.'  
  
"Don't feel distressed firstborn. I mean you no harm," the demon said.  
  
"You lie fiend! I do not trust you words. They are but as truthful as a viper's poison," Exile growled.  
  
"Now, aren't we a little agitated today? I do not hunt your species firstborn. You are not the ones I wish to destroy," Inari narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Then why did you send one of your henchmen to kidnap me?" the organoid demanded.  
  
A thin smile appeared on the demon queen's face. "I am probably correct when I say you are but the oldest and wisest of your kind left on this small defenseless planet, or even this world. Before I destroyed this planet, I was just curious about if you and your kind would join us. Form an alliance. We could take this planet as our own, and destroy the humans," the demon's eyes flickered with excitement. "This planet could be ridded of the human menace. Or even better, they could serve us as slaves. Think, firstborn. No more running and hiding from these weak humans. No more trying to deal with their greed and power. Just join me."  
  
Exile glared back at Inari. "Power? Isn't that what you want? You are about to do the same thing the humans did. They enslaved the Zoids, and now you are trying to enslave the humans. Two wrongs do not make a right. And you hold your hand out to the organoids, but what of the Zoids?"  
  
Inari snarled. "The Zoids cannot be helped. If this turned to open war no doubt the Zoids would be used to fight us-"  
  
"Us? I will not join you demon. These humans may not be perfect creatures, but they still have hearts, unlike you. They can love and care for one another. You? You can only hate. I have never felt one with so much malice and evil in them. You can forget about the organoids. We may not exactly like humans, but we will side with them over you. We were companions for these humans many centuries ago. And if need be, we will recreate that companionship to guarantee your downfall."  
  
The demon glared at Exile. Her eyes were burning with red flames.  
  
"You have made a big mistake firstborn. And soon, you shall see, and suffer. Before you suffer though," Inari's mouth curled into a cruel smile. "those around you shall suffer first."  
  
The demon then disappeared into the shadows. Exile stayed still for a long while until he felt the thickness in the air disappear as well. A cool breeze washed over the organoid's metal form. The last words from the demon came back to him.  
  
"Before you suffer though, those around you shall suffer first."  
  
Exile felt a sudden chill.  
  
"Shane! Jason!"  
  
The organoid raced through the woods. He had to get back to the camp sight. He just had to, before -  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
The Death Stinger let out a shrill cry that sounded like a thousand screaming souls being tortured to death. The two pilots in front of it cringed at the horrible noise. The Stinger snapped its pincers together. The huge Zoid turned to face the two other Zoids, and waited, as if daring them to come near.  
  
"Don't mind if I do," Shinigami mumbled as she pushed her Zoid into a charge.  
  
The Death Raptor let out a roar and took off into the sky. At a speed of Mach 5, the Death Raptor ripped through the air.  
  
"Take this!"  
  
The boosters on the Raptor roared to life as they spat blue and red flames. The Zoid plummeted down toward the Death Stinger. The falling form collided with the cockpit of the Death Stinger. The large Zoid staggered from the impact as the Death Raptor continued to bear down on it. But with a sudden burst of energy from the Stinger, the Raptor was flung away. While the Death Stinger had been distracted, the Blade Sniper had moved behind the scorpion-Zoid. It pounced with lightning speed and grabbed onto the tail of the Zoid. The Sniper clawed and bit at the tail, doing little damage. The Stinger flicked its tail, sending the Blade Sniper flying.  
  
"There's no way to damage this thing!" Kat said angrily.  
  
"I think I know a way."  
  
The Death Raptor got to its feet and charged again. Its blades flew open, and started to charge up. The Raptor then locked its feet into the ground, and the electricity from the blades shot toward the Stinger. The bright balls of energy hit the Stinger's alloy armor. For a horrible moment, the two pilots watched the energy swirl around the scorpion-Zoid. The electricity then froze in mid-air, and deteriorated. Shocked, neither pilot could say anything. The Death Stinger let out a shriek, and started to fire its 930mm mortar cannons in every direction. The huge blasts of laser energy lit the darkening sky with blinding flashes of blue and white. The Blade Sniper was running around madly, trying to avoid getting hit by the insanely big cannon blasts from the Stinger. The Death Raptor had taken to the skies, but could do nothing to damage the out of control Death Stinger. The cannon fire finally ceased, and the Blade Sniper stopped running. For a long while, the two Zoids stared at each other. With only a small cloud of dust trailing behind it, the Blade Sniper was off. Its guns were blazing as it charged the monstrous Zoid. Kat felt suddenly very small as she came closer and closer to the Death Stinger. Just as the Blade Sniper leapt, a hidden blade on the back of the Death Stinger's pincer came forward and smashed into the Sniper. With a last cry of distress, the Blade Sniper fell.  
  
"Damnit!" Kat slammed her fists down on the controls, as bright orange letters flashed: Command System Freeze.  
  
The Death Raptor flew down from the sky. Shinigami bit her lip. She knew her Zoid wouldn't last too much longer. The Death Raptor would overheat in less than five minutes. Shinigami landed her Zoid on the ground.  
  
"This is our last hope," she murmured to herself.  
  
The Raptor lowered its head, and the vents on its tail folded open. Metal clamps fell from the back of the Zoid's legs and buried themselves into the ground. A small ball of energy began to form within the mouth of the Death Raptor. It increased in size until you could no longer see its face from the front. Shinigami closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  
  
"Here goes nothing."  
  
The ball shot out into a long beam of particle energy. It flew forward and collided with the Death Stinger. The area was engulfed in a bright light and gray smoke. Shinigami looked down at her thermal scanners, but they didn't show anything. She raised her eyes slowly toward the cloud of smoke. Two pincers emerged from the cloud with the rest of the still in tact Death Stinger. From its tail, a bright light was being emitted.  
  
"You fight well, humans."  
  
Then Shinigami and Kat were swept into a white oblivion. Kat cracked her eyes open, and saw a purple-pink spiral swirling around her, before she saw no more.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Rit sat up in her bed. She looked around the dark room, as if waiting for something to appear. The dark room was silent and nothing stirred. Rit didn't relax. She had a bad feeling. Rit stood up. The dark shape lying by her bed pricked up its ears and stood up. The wolf shape followed Rit out of the door. Rit pricked up her own ears and turned around.  
  
"Stay here Chemuk. I'll be right back."  
  
The wolf-organoid growled but turned back. Rit smiled and walked down the hall. She touched one of the doors. Rit froze. She shrugged and touched the panel next to the door. It slid open, and Rit slipped inside.  
  
"Hey," she said quietly.  
  
Nothing moved. Rit stealthy moved to the side of the bed. She knelt down and rested her arms on the bed with her head sitting on top. Rit looked over at Vega in his coma-state.  
  
"I'll be back. Just wait for me. If you were awake you'd probably say that I was acting stupid, but you're not. I have to figure out what's happening. Sorry. I'll be back though. I promise," Rit said.  
  
She leaned over and kissed his forehead. Rit stood up and walked out of the room. She made a barely audible whistle from between her teeth, and immediately Chemuk was at her side. The organoid looked up at Rit questionably. Rit placed a tired hand on Chemuk's head.  
  
"Come on."  
  
Rit walked down the hall with Chemuk at her heels. But as she approached the hangar door, she heard something. Rit spun around to find a dark shape behind her, leaning against the wall.  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
"Go away. I have things to do," Rit growled.  
  
Drake stepped out from beyond the shadows. He looked at Rit with hard silver eyes.  
  
"You're going to go find that demon who put your boyfriend into a coma?" Drake said, with a slight smirk.  
  
Rit scowled. "He's not my boyfriend," Rit said harshly, though in her mind she had doubts.  
  
"Well you're not denying that you're going to find that demon. Just to tell you, you won't be able to beat her alone."  
  
"Are you suggesting something?" Rit snapped.  
  
Drake shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm just saying you may need some help."  
  
"In other words you want to come to," Rit said mockingly, talking as if talking to a toddler.  
  
Drake laughed, letting the insult slip. "If you're asking me to, then sure."  
  
"I'm not asking anything. You can come if you want to, but this is my show. You'd better not get in the way," Rit said strictly and turned around.  
  
"Yes ma'am," Drake muttered with a slight grin.  
  
He followed Rit into the hangar. Rit already had her Konig Wolf at the exit to the garage. Drake quickly jumped into his own Zoid and started the systems up. The Shinryu Unit rumbled in greeting. Drake grabbed the controls.  
  
"Ready when you are captain!" he said with a slight hint of humor.  
  
Rit shook her head and pushed her controls forward.  
  
"Chemuk, Storm, let's get going."  
  
The Konig Wolf howled and leapt out of the hangar, with the Shinryu close behind.  
  
"So, have any idea where we're going?"  
  
Rit was silent. She closed her eyes, remembering the dream she had. She recalled trees. Lots of trees.  
  
"A forest," Rit announced.  
  
"Wow, that was descriptive," Drake said sarcastically.  
  
Rit grumbled irritably, but thought more. What had she seen? She had seen an organoid... it was black and shaped like a normal organoid... But she knew it was different... How?  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Exile ran through the woods, panicking. He leapt over a fallen log and continued his sprint. Finally, Exile saw the clearing ahead. There was the flickering light of the fire. Exile jumped forward into the camp sight, putting his hologram back on. He turned around and looked. He saw Shane sleeping on a log. But where was Jason? Jake started to panic. Had the demon gotten to him? But then, Jake saw Jason coming out from the shadows of the trees. Jake was relieved.  
  
"Jason!" he said. "There's something I've got to tell you!"  
  
Jason smiled wickedly. "There's something I need to tell you too."  
  
Jake's eyes widened. He took a step back. The human was emitting the same evil the demon had. Jake backed away, slowly shaking his head. Jason advanced forward.  
  
"Well, well. We meet again."  
  
Jake looked into Jason's eyes, trying to find the real Jason. But he only saw hollowness. The demon had taken over his body.  
  
"Jason! You must fight! Do not let the demon take over! Fight Jason! Maenell e' kazmira!*" Jake suddenly yelled, in his own tongue.  
  
Jason faltered at the sudden outburst from the organoid-boy. With gritted teeth, Jason started to move forward again. His eyes turned into amber feline eyes: the same as the demon-queen.  
  
"You cannot win against me, firstborn! I will destroy your kind along with these pathetic humans!"  
  
Jason/Inari reached a clawed hand forward. With a swipe, s/he opened the air. The opening grew wider and wider until a huge purple/pink spiral could be seen within the rip.  
  
"I banish you to my world, firstborn. You will never see this world again!"  
  
With that, the portal split open, and swept Jake off his feet. Jake let out a cry of distress, then was sucked up into the portal.  
  
{A/N: I'm probably not going to write about the demon world in this fanfiction, so if you really want to know what happened to the three in there, say that in your review and I'll write a side-story about it. Well, that's it for now. Au revoir.}  
  
*Fight the Shadow! (I just made it up. It's supposedly in the 'organoid' language. 


	9. A Monster's Awakening

{A/N: Hello all. I hope you liked the last chapter. I'm trying to relate all the characters together somehow so it's less confusing and I don't have to change scenes so often but it's hard. X.x Anyway, I've decided not to write the side story and instead to make it part of this story. I finally had a break-through. I was B.S.ing my way through the last chapter. Sorry if it sucked kind of. Anyway, enjoy! And if like my writing or whatever, I have a one-shot story up called A Warrior's Fist. If you're into angsty stuff you may like it. Now on with the story!}  
  
A Monster's Awakening  
  
Jake disappeared within the swirling void. Inari watched through Jason's eyes with content as the organoid-boy was sucked into her world.  
  
"He'll never survive there," she laughed cruelly.  
  
Jason, the real Jason, watched on with horror as the boy disappeared. He knew that Jake was actually an organoid now. He knew that the demon was trying to destroy all human beings. He knew many things he didn't know before. But he was one of the only ones who knew what was happening. The other was now trapped in a world of demons.  
  
"Now, bring me the girl, slave. Bring her to me," a voice echoed through his mind.  
  
Jason felt the presence of the demon leave his body, but her hold on him was still there, as strong as ever. He wanted to resist. The words the organoid had spoken had slowed the demon and had encouraged him to fight, but he was weak. Jason could no longer fight the restrain of the demon- queen. Her power was too strong. Jason felt Inari wrapping herself more around his soul, burying part of herself deep within him. Jason struggled, but could do nothing.  
  
"I...won't..." he managed to gasp out.  
  
But Jason felt a sharp pain within his mind. He cried out and fell to his knees clutching his head.  
  
"Did you like that? I didn't think so. Bring me the girl, or I will torture you to the point in which you will beg for death."  
  
Jason clenched his teeth and tore at his head.  
  
"Ahhhhhh!"  
  
The wound on Jason's arm began to throb and bleed. Black fluids oozed out and seeped through the bandage, tricking down Jason's arm. He desperately wanted to follow the demon's orders. Then the pain would stop...  
  
"No!" Jason said through gritted teeth. "All a trick. She wants me to think this."  
  
Jason opened one of his eyes, and saw Shane sleeping peacefully on the log by the fire. He knew if the demon got her she would be in more pain than he.  
  
"I...won't let her get you!" he said hoarsely.  
  
Jason staggered to his feet, and started to move away from the campsite. He dragged himself into the forest. Jason felt the demon release her hold on him for now, but the hunger was back. Jason trudged through the dank, dark trees, eyes glazed, hungry, and in pain. His wounded arm lay limply at his side, the dark liquid still streaming down. Finally, Jason collapsed. Hunger and exhaustion overcame the man. He fell to the ground motionless and eyes closed. A large shape loomed overhead.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
"Hey! Rit! I think I've got something here!" Drake said.  
  
"Let's hope it's not the same things Chemuk brings in the house," Rit mumbled.  
  
She increased the speed of her Zoid, following the map sent by Drake. Rit looked closely down at it. The green vertical and horizontal lines were faded, and showed the exact shape of the forest. Inside, there was a very small, very light dot.  
  
"Certainly not a Zoid. What is it?"  
  
Drake smirked. "Ha! I told you you'd need me."  
  
"Woohoo, one thing I've asked you so far. Let's celebrate," Rit said lamely.  
  
Drake grinned and said, "Looks like a person. A drunk maybe. He was kind of staggering and then he fell."  
  
"Why would a drunk be hanging around in the middle of forest located in the middle of nowhere?" Rit asked.  
  
Drake shrugged. "You never know."  
  
Rit sighed heavily as she approached the forest. She saw the Dragon king circling in a tight circle above the trees. Rit stopped her Konig Wolf.  
  
"Stay up there. I'm going to go see what that thing is. I'll go with Chemuk just to be safe, but keep an eye out and warn me of anything if you see something," Rit said, and started to climb out of the cockpit.  
  
"Hey Rit? Won't you need something to um...maybe communicate with so I can actually send you real words instead of sitting up here in my Zoid 200 feet in the air waving my arms like an idiot?"  
  
"I was getting it," Rit said indignantly.  
  
"Sure..." Drake mumbled.  
  
Rit grabbed her communicator and walked into the forest. The black wolf- organoid followed, but not too close. Rit approached the area in which Drake had spotted the 'drunk'. She knelt down low, and advanced, but slowler. She finally peered over the tops of the bushes and saw a man. His eyes were closed, and he looked wiped out. Rit also noticed the horrible gash on his arm that was still flooding with a dark liquid. Hurriedly, Rit picked up the communicator.  
  
"Drake! Do you have a first aid kit? Good. Get down here and bring it with you. This is no drunk. I don't know who he is. Or even what happened to him," Rit added.  
  
Drake followed orders and swooped down next to Rit's Konig Wolf. He grabbed the first aid kit and jumped out of the cockpit. He ran into the forest, and was panting by the time he reached Rit. Without even a 'thanks' Rit grabbed the kit and started tending to the wound. Drake looked over.  
  
"Shouldn't you wake him up first?"  
  
"He's tired. Can't you see that?" Rit snapped.  
  
"Well how do you know he's not some serial killer on the run and that wound was made by some ZBC officials trying to bring him down?" Drake shot back.  
  
Rit continued tending the man's arm. "I don't."  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Kat's eyes slowly opened. Her head was aching and she felt as if she had been sucked into an oversized vacuum cleaner. With a bit of a struggle, Kat got herself upright. Her eyesight was a little blurry, but she could pretty much see her surroundings.  
  
'This can't be true,' she thought.  
  
Kat rubbed her eyes in disbelief, only to see the same thing. The city was huge! There were buildings and shops everywhere. The noise was also as big as the city. There were people yelling, shouting, machines running, things exploding. In shorter terms, utter chaos. But what most surprised Kat the most was the people who were walking around. They seemed to have animal ears and tails, wings, scales, etc... The people looked like some strange mix between animal and human or Zoid and human.  
  
"You shouldn't be too surprised," came a voice.  
  
Kat spun around. A man was sitting on a bench beside where she lay. His hair was dark brown, and his eyes were a dark, metal gray. For the most part, he looked like a normal human being, except Kat noticed the claws on his hands, as well as the black glistening metal that was on parts of his body. Kat also saw that the man had wings of some sort. They looked like bird wings, except they were black. Kat almost laughed when she notice the man even had little fangs.  
  
"I must be dreaming," she assured herself.  
  
The steel eyes fixed on her. The man shook his head.  
  
"You are not dreaming. Look down at yourself. You hands."  
  
Kat looked down at her hands, and almost screamed. Her nails were sharp, and Kat noticed she could retract them, like a cat's claws. Kat felt her head, and touched something soft and fuzzy, that was definitely not her hair. Ears. Kat had some sort of animal ears. She also noticed the tail that was coming out of her backside.  
  
"Oh my God! I'm turning into a freak!" Kat yelled.  
  
The man put his clawed hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shut up! They'll hear you, and find out what you truly are."  
  
"I think if you look at me, you can truly see that I've turned into a freak," Kat mumbled.  
  
The man shot a dirty look at Kat.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I've used up the last bit of my energy concealing you and your friend's true identity. This, human, is the demon world. I do not know how you got here, but a human in human form wandering around in the demon world is not safe."  
  
Kat put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so then you're a demon? And why should I even trust or listen to you?"  
  
"No, am I not a demon. This is merely a mind trick to make you think I am. Just like what I did to you. Now, we must find the other human. I felt her coming into this world and changed her form into demon form, but I do not know where she is," the man said, and turned around.  
  
"Hey wait! I don't even know what to call you. I can't just keep calling you, 'Hey! Person!' or whatever. And what's with this cat look?" Kat added, looking down at herself. 'At least I have my normal clothes on,' Kat said silently.  
  
"Just call me Jake. And the reason why I chose that form for you was because your Zoid is a cheetah-type, is it not? So therefore your demon form would be a cheetah mix."  
  
"Alright then. I wonder how that other girl is going to look," Kat said.  
  
"No time for that. We must get going."  
  
Jake turned and ran down the street, through the crowd of demons. Kat looked nervously around. This was going to be a long day.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
K.O. stood outside on the base balcony, looking over the land. The sun was only beginning to rise.  
  
"Damn you Drake, Rit. Neither of you are on my team, and be grateful for that at least. If you were, you'd be in a whole lot of pain right now. Still, you shouldn't have gone off like that," K.O. murmured.  
  
Angel strutted next to K.O. She looked out into the horizon.  
  
"So they left huh?"  
  
K.O. nodded. Angel looked down at K.O.'s bruised knuckles. She looked away and back toward the base.  
  
"What are we going to do with the Kruez Team? They can't stay forever. They have their own base and everything. Besides, they as well as us need to battle to maintain our standings," Angel said conversationally.  
  
"There's a demon out there Angel. Possibly more than one. You think it's safe for the rest of the world to be out there doing their thing? Minding their own business? Now, I know I'm not the kind to be Mr. I-wanna-save-the- world, but this demon thing isn't coming here to smile and say nice things about Zi. She's coming to destroy us. As for the Kruez Team, I'm not really sure. They're pretty broken down without their captain. Not much I can do about that."  
  
K.O. turned around and walked passed Angel back into the base. Strider walked passed the exit just as K.O. entered.  
  
"Whoa, is it just me, or is everyone getting up real early today?"  
  
Angel cocked an eyebrow. "What about you?"  
  
"Hey, I'm always up at this time," Strider said.  
  
He walked away and left Angel to herself. Angel looked out at the slowly rising sun. There was a sudden rumbling. Angel grabbed onto the railing of the balcony. Her eyes were wide with panic. Ariel rushed into view.  
  
"Angel! Where's K.O? Serious problems," Ariel said in alarm.  
  
Angel nodded her head in the direction in which K.O. had disappeared to. Ariel nodded her thanks and ran off. Angel looked back toward the vast land. In the distance, she saw something approaching. It was huge, even in the distance. The thing was slow, but menacing all the same. Angel stared at it, unable to move. The red eyes turned, looking in every direction. Angel stayed frozen.  
  
'Please, don't look this way,' Angel thought.  
  
She was paralyzed with fear. The thing looked back...and forth...Then it's eyes fixed on the base...on Angel. The creature stopped, and stared. It roared, and the sound shook the ground.  
  
"I'm coming for you...Yessss...You...Jusssst wait..."  
  
{A/N: Oh no! More evil Zoids! I'll give you three guesses to figure out what Zoid it is. Lol. Not that I'd give you anything. I've nothing to give except more updates, which I will give no matter what. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. There's more where that came from! Ahn-young!} 


	10. Past Returns

Past Returns  
  
The lumbering beast grew nearer as the seven Zoids stood at the front of the Last Guard Team base. The pilots shifted uneasily in their seats. Jamie's Raynos fired up its engines and took off into the sky.  
  
"I'll stay on watch and see how close I can get to this thing," he said, and boosted off.  
  
The rest of the Kreuz Team and the Last Guard Team watched the green Zoid fly toward the giant.  
  
"Any idea what kind of Zoid it is, Ariel?" K.O. asked.  
  
"Sensors indicate a Gojulas, but it's moving and an incredible rate for one," Ariel announced.  
  
"How fast?" K.O. inquired.  
  
"180 km/h. The usual speed for a Gojulas is 75!"  
  
The Raynos swooped in.  
  
"It's a Gojulas all right, but it looks real different. Unlike the normal nice little Gojuluses we know, this one isn't upright. It runs like an actual T-rex with its body parallel to the ground."  
  
The other pilots weren't able to answer, because soon enough, the Gojulas reached them. It loomed high over the seven Zoids, and let out a terrifying roar.  
  
"Like my new toy? Nothing like you've ever seen is it?" a voice echoed through the minds of the pilot.  
  
"Inari!" Ariel growled.  
  
"Good, at least you remember who I am. I am, after all, the one that is going to destroy all of man-kind," the voice laughed. "This, my weak little human friends, is the Giga Gojulas, or the Gigantor. It's the newest Gojulas platform created by the Battle Commission that my new little slave stole for me."  
  
"You coward! Why don't you ever come fight us yourself!" Cloud suddenly yelled out.  
  
The voice laughed. "Because, I have more important things to tend to. Play nice."  
  
The Giga roared. There was a flash, and the Ion Sniper was charging the Gigantor.  
  
"I'll take this bloke out," Cloud growled. "Weasel Unit Total Assault!"  
  
The barrage of missiles and Gattling shots showered the sky and rammed into the Giga. The dust cleared, and the Gojulas was still standing on the same spot, seemingly unscathed. It roared, and shook the ground. The Ion Sniper backed off.  
  
"We can't take this Zoid out individually, we have to work together," Ariel said.  
  
"Together? Huh. There is no together," Death glowered.  
  
The Genosaurer opened its hover ports and took off toward the Gigantor. It banked left and fired its mounted cannon at the Giga. The behemoth grunted irritably and with a quick swipe of its monstrous tail, sent the Genosauer rolling across the landscape. The Reaper Zero jumped forward to be the next contender, but K.O.'s green Blade Liger blocked its path.  
  
"No. We can't take this guy out individually, just like Ariel said. We have to work together. Even if the Kreuz Team refuses to do so, we still are the Last Guard Team, and we will work together. That is not a suggestion, that's an order from your captain," K.O. said.  
  
"Whoa. K.O. is actually acting 'captain'-ish," Strider said with a whistle.  
  
The green Blade Liger glared at the other Liger, which turned away unnoticing. Gash stepped forward next to the green Liger and the Reaper Zero.  
  
"So, any plans Captain?" Ariel asked, eyeing the approaching Gigantor. "Because if you do, now would be a good time to tell us all."  
  
"Damnit Strider, get over here," Angel snapped.  
  
Strider grinned sheepishly and walked his Liger toward the rest of the team.  
  
"Just because the rest of us are getting all serious, doesn't mean you get to slink off," Angel said with a grin.  
  
This was their way of dealing with tough situations. Whenever the Last Guard Team was in a fix, they'd always joke around to blow off some steam.  
  
"Alright. The Reaper Zero is the fasted Zoid here, so Angel, I want you to attack the Giga head on. I know your Zoid is really durable, but I don't know how much damage this thing can inflict. Be careful, and just try to keep the Gojulas occupied until I tell you to pull out. Ariel, since you can run around this place without being seen, Strider and I will attack the Gojulas from both sides after Angel pulls out. You have to somehow find some weakness on the Giga if you can, and send us some info and updates. The Helcat is not a particularly strong considering its limited armor, so don't pull of anything stupid. Got it? Okay. Everyone ready? Let's get going then."  
  
The Reaper Zero took off toward the behemoth, its lips pulled up into a snarl. The wolf-Zoid leapt toward the Gigantor and turned around in the air, hitting the Gojulas with its back feet, then pushing off again to land safely on the ground.  
  
"That was good Zero. Now lets see what this Giga can do."  
  
The Zero howled and charged again, quickly and constantly changing positions to confuse the Gigantor. It then jumped passed the monstrous Zoid, slicings its side with blades. The Gojulas roared in agony, and swept its tail at the Reaper Zero.  
  
"Too slow," Angel laughed.  
  
She came in for another round when she heard K.O.'s incoming call to pull out.  
  
"Aww...I was just getting warmed up. Alright. Pulling out." The Reaper Zero halted its charge.  
  
The Gigantor, confused, charged the immobilized Reaper instead.  
  
"Bad move," Strider grinned.  
  
The two Blade Ligers criss-crossed each others' paths, and cut deep into the Gojulas' armor. The behemoth roared in sheer anger. Its roar sent a shock wave through the air, hitting all the Zoids, sending them to the ground. The Gojulas then seemed to sit down in a normal Gojulas stance, and locked its position. Gash stood up.  
  
"What? This Gojulas can change its position?"  
  
The two colossal rear-facing cannons shifted and positioned themselves as back-mounted weapons pointing forward. The Gojulas roared and fired a blazing stream of blistering red thermal energy toward the downed green Blade Liger. K.O. opened his eyes and saw the red beam approaching, but knew he could do nothing to avoid it.  
  
"Well, this is it," he thought to himself.  
  
But as he closed his eyes to accept his fate, something banged into him from the side, knocking him out of the cannon fire's trajectory. K.O. still felt the searing heat from the blast, but his Zoid was unaffected. K.O. turned and saw that the Raynos had pushed him out of the line of fire, but was now a burning mass of twisted and melting metal.  
  
"Jamie!"  
  
No answer. Another beam was headed toward him. This time K.O. avoided the blast. Just barely. The Incendiary Beam Cannon's blast singed the side of the Blade Liger, leaving an ugly black mark. K.O. was angry. He turned his Blade Liger toward the Gigantor and charged. Another blast skimmed his Liger's shoulder, leaving a green metallic mess that dripped down its leg. But the Liger continued on. Another Liger and the Reaper Zero formed a two- person line behind him. The Genosaurer, the Ion Sniper, and Gash were in back of them. The triangle formation advanced forward, breaking when needed, but joining back together after.  
  
"K.O, the Gigantor does have a weakness. Its knees, the armor is weak at the knees," Ariel informed him.  
  
K.O. nodded. "Alright then. Split left and right, three and three. Surround the Gigantor and try to avoid its beam cannons while aiming for the knees."  
  
"The knees?" Death scoffed. "What kind of plan is that?"  
  
"It's the only hope we have left of surviving."  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Rit and Drake sat Jason upright, trying to give him some water. Jason only groaned and turned his head away.  
  
"You have to drink something. You're tired and dehydrated," Rit said softly.  
  
"Can't..." Jason gasped. "Hunger..."  
  
"Hungry? You're hungry?"  
  
Jason's eyes snapped open and he flailed his arms to get away from the two teens.  
  
"Hey! It's you!" Drake said and stood up. "Didn't notice you with your eyes closed and you looking so tired."  
  
"Don't come near me," Jason warned.  
  
"We're just trying to help-" Rit started.  
  
"You can't help me. No one can," Jason said in a low voice.  
  
Then the wind started to swirl around. Jason froze. Inari appeared behind him, her left hand on his shoulder, her right on his waist. She peered around Jason's form, and looked at the two pilots. The demon queen grinned.  
  
"So, I've finally found you, my dragon," she said to Drake. Then Inari's eyes turned to Rit, and she growled. "Khai! Kill the spare."  
  
A streak of red shot passed both Jason and Drake, and up around Rit. She fell to the ground, a giant metallic snake wrapped around her body. It hissed and showed its teeth, dripping with venom. Rit shrieked. Inari turned away and whispered something into Jason's ear. Jason's eyes were lifeless and hollow. He nodded limply and walked over to Drake. Drake backed away and threw a punch at Jason. Jason caught the punch and kicked Drake in the gut, knocking him unconscious. He then picked the boy up and followed Inari in the trees. Rit was still battling the snake, when a black flash tackled the snake to the ground.  
  
"Chemuk!" Rit said, relieved.  
  
The organoid barked and pinned the snake to the ground. She then looked at Rit.  
  
"No, wait." Rit approached the snake, which turned into its humanoid form involuntarily due to loss of energy.  
  
Khai cringed as Rit approached, and held his hands in front of his face.  
  
"Please..." Khai began.  
  
Rit looked down sympathetically at the boy. But she shook her head and tried to look stern.  
  
"I'm sorry.." Khai continued, still cringing. "I-I didn't want to but-"  
  
Rit couldn't hold on to her tough-act anymore.  
  
"She did the same thing to you, didn't she?"  
  
Khai looked up with his sad, pitiful eyes. He nodded slowly.  
  
"I-I was once normal. Like, a normal boy. But then...Then she came a took me away. Turned me into this." Khai looked down at himself. "A freak. Half human, half snake. She told me I was a wasted form of life. That no one in the human world would miss me. She tried to make me hate humans...but I couldn't."  
  
Khai buried his face in his arms. Rit, standing above him, couldn't help but feel superior over this boy. This boy that was part animal. This boy that was a demon with supernatural powers.  
  
"Tell me where that demon took my friend," Rit said.  
  
Khai looked up with tear-stained eyes. "I-I can't. She'll kill me..She'll-"  
  
Rit angrily grabbed Khai's shoulders and shook him.  
  
"She won't get to you! I promise! Just please..."  
  
Rit dropped the boy's shoulders and turned around. Chemuk had her eyes glued on the strange snake-boy, but was determined to comfort her partner.  
  
"The girl..." Khai said suddenly. Rit turned around. "She wants the girl."  
  
"What girl?"  
  
"She has the dragon-boy. All she needs now is the girl. The girl with the griffon."  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Shane's eyes fluttered open. She sat up on the log. Where was everyone?  
  
"Jason? Jake? Where are you guys?" She stood up. "This isn't funny. Come on. Where are you?"  
  
Arrow came down from the sky and perched on Shane's shoulder. She crooned softly.  
  
"Hey Arrow. Have you seen Jason and/or Jake?"  
  
Arrow gave a cry and took off into the sky.  
  
"Tell me if you find them," Shane called after the falcon.  
  
There was a shuffling in the trees.  
  
"Jason? Jake?"  
  
A woman stepped out, wearing a malicious grin. Then, a familiar someone stepped out next to her.  
  
"Jason!" Shane cried happily.  
  
She ran to greet him, but stopped short. Jason's eyes were hollow and lifeless. He carried a boy in his arms. The woman stepped out in front.  
  
"Hello. I have finally come to meet you myself. I see you've already met-"  
  
Shane's palm collided with the side of the demon's head.  
  
"What did you do to Jason?!" she roared.  
  
The demon queen grinned.  
  
"Touché, touché," Inari said, shaking her head.  
  
The demon then stuck her palm out in front of Shane. Shane looked at it, confused. She suddenly coughed. She couldn't breath! Shane tried to suck in air, but she couldn't. Slowly, Shane sank to her knees, gagging and chocking, trying to fill her lungs with air. Finally, the girl fainted into a heap. Inari put her hand down. She nodded to Jason, and he walked over and picked up Shane's lifeless body and slung it over his shoulder.  
  
"I have the two that hold the key. Now the destruction begins," Inari laughed.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Kat and Jake ran down the streets, pushing passed demons, yelling 'sorry's over their shoulders. Finally they reached a park-like area. There were two demon-men lying on the ground. A form stood above them. Kat and Jake stopped abruptly. The form laughed hysterically  
  
"I love this!" Shinigami yelled in glee.  
  
She turned around. Kat saw that indeed, Shinigami had also been changed according to her Zoid. There were flaming wings on her back, and a long, black metallic tail protruding from her backside. Her feet were metal talons, and long elliptical shapes covered both her arms. They were like metal guards going from around her elbow to the tips of her fingers. Kat later saw that her hands were still there, they were just grasping onto small holds inside the armor. At the tip of each shell, were two long scythe-like claws.  
  
Shinigami's eyes were wild, and she grinned deviously.  
  
"Hey! It's you! Is that guy bothering you by any chance?" she said, motioning toward Jake.  
  
Jake's eyes bugged out. "Eh?"  
  
Kat turned to him, and grinned evilly. Jake shook his head, eyes wide with fright.  
  
"Nah. He's the one who gave us these forms anyway. If you were to attack him, he'd take away your demon form like that." Kat snapped her clawed fingers.  
  
"Actually, I can't. The form lasts until we get out of the demon world," Jake whispered to Kat.  
  
"Well, it's either I lie for you, or she slices you open and guts you like a fish," Kat replied snidely.  
  
"I'll take the first one..."  
  
Shinigami looked over at Jake, who froze at her glance.  
  
"Alright then. Good job," she added with a grin. "So, where is this place anywho?"  
  
"The demon world," Jake answered, going back into his serious mode. "Somehow that demon lady must have somehow flung all three of us into her world."  
  
"How do we get out?"  
  
Jake shook his head. "If I knew, I'd tell you. But the question is not whether we get out or not. It's whether the human world can withstand the demon's full wrath."  
  
"What do you mean?" Kat demanded.  
  
"The demon queen, Inari, is after two 'keys' hidden in the human world. I have heard rumors that they are actually within two humans, but I am not certain. These keys hold powers of great intensity, and if in the wrong hands, can cause immense damage, perhaps even destroying the planet. I am afraid that the demon may have already found them."  
  
"What?!" both girls yelled in unison.  
  
"But, there is a catch. Inari cannot use this power."  
  
Both pilots let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"She will most likely turn these two humans into her own kind."  
  
"How?!" Shinigami yelled. "We can't handle this one demon! How can we handle two more!?  
  
"There are three demons on Zi right now and-"  
  
"But how will Inari be able to get the new recruits to obey her demands? Demons are not soulless," Kat said.  
  
"She tells them things that are not true. She deceives them and lies. The two other demons, Enko and Khai, are actually humans who have been turned into demons."  
  
"Why is she simply changing them into demons?" Kat asked. "Why not change the whole planet into demons?"  
  
Jake turned to look at Kat. "Because she cannot. The humans that hold the key have influence from the Old World."  
  
Both girls looked at the organoid-boy hard.  
  
"What do you 'Old World'?" Shinigami asked.  
  
"Their Zoids are both mythical creatures you see only in human fairytales and stories. But these creatures once did thrive, but in the Old World. The world has long since been exterminated and forgotten, but some traces remain. How do you think humans received the idea that unicorns, phoenixes, dragons, and griffons existed? Because they did exist. And somehow, some hint of these creatures remained, and hid themselves deep within the mind and body of a few humans. They have some strange connection to the Old World, and tend to have Zoids that match the soul of the creature that is concealed within them. Inari has the power to draw out that soul and mold it to her wishes. That is what she did to Enko and Khai. Their demonic forms may not seem like forms of Old World creatures, but are. The silver fox, the symbol of the Old World Guardians. The red snake, the form the Underworld dwellers took to disguise themselves. It all fits..." Jake trailed off.  
  
Kat and Shinigami waited for him to continue. When he didn't, Shinigami rolled her eyes and said, "What? Out of batteries? Come one! Tell us mo-"  
  
"Batteries!" Jake burst out.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Shinigami! You're a genius!"  
  
"Er...okay, let's leave it at that," Shinigami said with a shrug.  
  
"Nothing can be created out of thin air. Not even the energy used in Inari's schemes. Just because this is not the human world, doesn't mean the same rules do not apply. The demon queen must be getting her energy from some source, just as the organoids and Zoids get their energy from the Zoid Eve. If we destroy the power source, we destroy Inari!"  
  
"But what about the rest of the demons?!" Kat said angrily. "They're probably not all bad."  
  
Jake cocked his eyebrow. "You'd be surprised. But don't worry. I think I have it all figured out."  
  
{A/N: Yes, I know. I really do love cliffhangers. Leaving you people on the edge of your seats is just so fun. Lol. Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing. Oh yeah, and I didn't kill off Jamie, so don't start complaining just yet.} 


	11. Headstrong

{A/N: Hey all. Sorry for the delay. No worries though. I'd never leave you hanging for too long!}  
  
Headstrong  
  
Shinigami flew overhead as Jake and Kat ran beneath her. The blazing wings occasionally let fly sparks that showered the two demon/humans below.  
  
"Hey! Watch it! You're going to get my tail on fire!" Kat growled, showing her teeth.  
  
Shinigami shrugged with a grin, and flew higher into the sky. She scanned the surroundings.  
  
"So, Jake, any idea what this 'source' looks like?" she asked.  
  
Jake glared up. "No. I'm not even sure if there is a source in the first place. I'm playing this whole thing 'by ear' as they say. Why?"  
  
"Eh...You may want to come up here."  
  
Jake rolled his eyes and spread his wings, letting the warm updraft take him toward Shinigami. He followed her gaze and squinted.  
  
"What is that?" he gaped.  
  
"I was hoping you'd know."  
  
The building was huge. It was shaped sort of in a pyramid fashion, but had snake-like wires protruding from it, curling around it, emitting eerie green rays. Jake twitched as he felt the amount of energy radiating from the area.  
  
"Hello? The little people down here would really like to know what's going on up there among the high-and-mightys," Kat said, crossly.  
  
"I think we've found our source," Jake said flatly.  
  
He swooped down and landed next to Kat. Kat noted that his eyes seemed to have a slightly worried look in them. But Jake turned away and took off running. Kat followed him, easily keeping pace with the organoid-boy due to her half-cheetah form. Shinigami called down directions to guide the two runners from overhead. Jake and Kat soon saw a forest approaching them. They pummeled right through it. Jake ran with his head low, like a wolf, and slid through the dark trees. He stopped behind a wall of bushes and kneeled down below the bush-line. Kat stooped down next to him, and Shinigami landed behind the two.  
  
"Guards. Everywhere. It's going to be tough getting in," Jake growled.  
  
One of the demon guards passed by the bushes, and the three humans froze. Unfortunately, the guard was half wolf.  
  
"Who goes there? This is private property! You are trespassing on private property!" the wolf-man bellowed.  
  
"Well, we can't do anything now but fight," Shinigami growled.  
  
"Idiot! They have damn guns and crap!" Kat hissed.  
  
"Come out! NOW," the guard ordered.  
  
"As you wish," Shinigami smiled.  
  
She flew out of the bushes and rammed into the guard. The guard fell to the ground, firing one round from his rifle making a huge bang! The other guards turned to see what was going on, and ran to help their downed friend.  
  
Shinigami stood up, smiling wickedly and showing her glinting white teeth. The guards dove for her, but she shot into the sky, and clawed their faces with her talons. Kat leapt into the action and bit down on one of the guards' arms. He dropped his gun and howled in pain. Kat jumped off of him and slashed at her next victim. Jake shook his head but ran in to join the frenzy. His huge black wings seemed to block the sun as he flew into the sky. The organoid-boy came plummeting down toward the crowd of guards, slashing, biting, roaring. But as more fell, more guards came to replace the fallen. The three humans fought as best as they could, but it was beginning to feel hopeless.  
  
"Damnit! We can't take them all!" Kat yelled.  
  
The guards circled them. Jake shot into the air and attempted another dive bomb, but a bullet whizzed by, nicking his face and throwing him off- course. Another bullet zoomed by, leaving a neat red line on his arm. The red drops sprinkled onto the ground, mixing with the dark blood of the guard demons. Kat pounced on the guard that was firing the gun. He fell to the ground firing a shot at his assailant. But the shot went wide and missed Kat, hitting a tree instead. Then something exploded. Smoke filled the scene, and guards started to waver and fall to the ground. Kat put her hand around her mouth and nose, but felt her body muscles submitting to the gas. She managed to stumble into the bushes before she fell. Shinigami and Jake flew into the air, out of the smoke.  
  
"Who threw that?" Shinigami growled, ready to attack again.  
  
"I did." A shape stepped out from the tree line.  
  
"Enko." Jake stared hard down at the demon that had almost killed him before. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.  
  
"I was sent by Inari to monitor you in the demon world. I followed you and- "  
  
"Now you're going to stop us from destroying the source of your master's energy. Well guess what? We're not going to let you! We've come this far in your stupid demon world, and you are not going to stop us. I mean, it's not like we want to be here. You stupid master flung us into this damned world and we are sure as hell getting out!" Shinigami burst out.  
  
Enko looked calmly back at the human. "Are you finished?"  
  
"Um...I guess so."  
  
"Okay then," the fox demon said patiently. "As I was saying, I was sent to monitor your progression through the demon world, and to make sure you never got to the real source or figured out a way to return to your world. But then I overheard you," she looked over at Jake. "talking. I heard how you said that Khai and I were once humans... Just as these young ones are," she nodded her head toward Kat and Shinigami. "I remembered more and more about being human. I remembered my life as a human, before this." She looked down at her paws/hands. "I had put up the pyramid there to deceive you. I knew the energy from the power plant would make you think it was the source. The source is actually hidden deep within the crust of this world. The only entrance to it is inside the arsenal shop on the other side of this property. You must go to the basement. There will be a secret door in the floor next to the boxes labeled 'Explosives.' You can't see it, but if you look for it, it will be there."  
  
"This could be a trap for all we know. How do we know we can trust you?" Jake retorted.  
  
"You don't. You'll just have to trust your instincts," Enko said. "I must return to Inari before she realizes I've been gone for so long. It is up to you whether to believe what I have told you. Good-bye."  
  
The fox demon disappeared. The pyramid disappeared. The area was indeed just a power plant. Jake looked up at it and could feel the energy of the power plant, but not the sticky evil he felt before.  
  
"So the demon was telling the truth," he sighed.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
{A/N: Wrote this section while listening to Headstrong by Trapt (notice the title of the chapter) so just a suggestion if you want to listen to it while reading.}  
  
The Giga roared, sending a tremor through the ground. Thoughts wound around K.O.'s head.  
  
"What if this fails? Will it work? I hope the Kreuz Team listened to what I said..."  
  
K.O. shook his head and looked forward. He avoided the crack in the ground made by the Giga's roar, and slid to the right.  
  
"Split up!"  
  
The six Zoids split left and right. The Reaper Zero, Green Blade Liger, and Genosaurer were on one side, and the other Blade Liger, Ion Sniper, and Gash were on the other. The Gigantor seemed stunned for a second, but roared again, shaking the earth beneath the Zoids.  
  
"You guys with the Genosaurer and Ion Sniper, stay back and attack from afar. We need the support incase one of gets damaged, and you two are the only ones with long-range weapons," K.O. ordered. "I hope this works," he added silently.  
  
Four Zoids charged. K.O. saw the blinding beam of light shoot passed him and smash into the Gigantor. It roared, putting the four charging Zoids off- balance.  
  
"Keep going!" K.O. yelled.  
  
The barrage of missiles came from the other side of the Giga and slammed violently into the occupied Gojulas. Two Blade Ligers slashed the behemoth's knees, and Gash and the Reaper Zero followed up the attack.  
  
"My turn," Death hissed.  
  
The hover ports opened, and the two Zoids on that side jumped out of the way as the Genosaurer shot toward the Gojulas. It circled the Giga's leg, then jumped up and ripped off a wire. The Ion Sniper zoomed forward with its Ion Boosters open and joined in the butchery. The Giga wasn't going to put up with the Zoids. It let out another terrible roar and a heat wave swept the Zoids back. The Incendiary Beam blasted toward the fallen Zoids.  
  
"Watch it!"  
  
They all moved out of the way just in time. Angel looked back and saw a black scorch mark where she was before. But the Ion Sniper had been nicked. If it could really be called 'nicked'. Its left arm was melted off and sitting in a puddle next to the stunned Zoid. The Reaper Zero stood wearily to its feet and turned to the Ion Sniper. The rest of the Zoids were one the ground, unable to move due to a system freeze or overheating.  
  
"You alright?" Angel managed to gasp out.  
  
Sweat poured down Angel's face. The Incendiary Beam Cannon was no joke. The beam had passed so close to the Zoids that the cockpits of all the Zoids felt like saunas.  
  
"I'm good," Cloud replied.  
  
Angel looked back at the Giga Gojulas. She turned back to Cloud.  
  
"Is there any way you can eject the Weasel Unit?" she asked.  
  
The Ion Sniper cocked its head to one side. The Gigantor took a step forward.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We don't have time! Can you eject the unit or not?!" Angel demanded.  
  
"Okay, okay. Yes, I can eject this unit, but-"  
  
"Then do it," Angel said simply. "After that go into Sniper-mode and fire a round at the Giga's knee."  
  
She turned toward the slowly approaching Giga.  
  
"How much time do you need?"  
  
"It'll take about 15 -- no 10 seconds. But-" Cloud said.  
  
The Reaper Zero charged the Gigantor.  
  
"Angel!"  
  
But Angel had turned off her communications system. She looked up at the Giga.  
  
"You came for me. Now take me away."  
  
The Reaper Zero leapt toward the monstrous Zoid. Angel calmly closed her eyes. The beam cannon fired.  
  
"ANGEL!"  
  
Cloud fired a shot from the tail of his Ion Sniper. The shot flew forward, fast approaching the Giga. The Giga turned and fired another beam. The bullet still flew. Cloud watched the single bullet fly. His life, the life of his friends, the lives of countless people, lay on that single bullet...  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Rit ran through the forest, Chemuk at her heels. The organoid looked up worryingly at her partner, but Rit did not meet the wolf's eyes. Her eyes were forward.  
  
"Why am I doing this?" she thought to herself. "Why am I risking my life to save two someones I barely know?"  
  
"Because you must," another voice said.  
  
Rit kept running. Her leg muscles begged for a rest, but Rit ignored their pleas and continued to run. Chemuk looked at her partner again.  
  
*Why did you not take Storm?* the wolf-organoid asked.  
  
"That's what she would expect. And it's too noticeable. Besides, I can't get to the campsite with a land Zoid," Rit replied.  
  
The organoid was not quite satisfied with the answer, but did not question her partner's decision any further. The two ran through the trees and jumped over bushes, determined to save the two 'keys' from Inari.  
  
*I sense something* Chemuk stated.  
  
Rit slowed down to a quiet lope, and continued forward. She stopped, and crept forward, hearing someone laughing. But as Rit peered over the bushes, something grabbed her, and dragged her out of her hiding space.  
  
*Rit!*  
  
But the organoid fell the ground, motionless. Inari smiled at the human girl as she struggled against invisible bonds. She saw Chemuk fall.  
  
"What've you done to her!?" Rit screamed.  
  
"Don't worry. Your precious pet is still alive. Just stunned I believe. There is a spell around this area that puts any Zoid or organoid that crosses the tree line into a system freeze. Made it myself. You like?" Inari asked. Then laughed harshly. "You cannot stop me from domination my young human."  
  
She turned to Jason. He went over and picked up Rit.  
  
"Jason!"  
  
Jason froze. Inari spun around and glared at the voice. Shane had awoken. She was tired out an still not fully recovered, but determined.  
  
"Jason!" she croaked. "Don't do it! Please... Remember..."  
  
Inari shot Shane a distasteful look. "He can't hear you. He is under my control, and his real self is lost to him."  
  
"Jason..." Shane tightly closed her eyes, trying to remember something.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
A little girl sat on the floor, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face. A young man looked down at her and smiled.  
  
"Are you lost little girl?" he asked kindly.  
  
"No," the girl retorted.  
  
The man smiled. He sat down on the floor beside her.  
  
"You want to hear a story?"  
  
The girl only grunted.  
  
"The world was once filled with demons, yes, demons! They ruled the land using terror and torture as their way of life. The demons picked on the weaker and enslaved each other and other creatures. The creatures of Zi couldn't stand the demons any longer. They banned together to create a creature more powerful than themselves that would be able to defeat the demons. But the creatures were unable to create such a creature. Their creature was indeed stronger, but not as strong as the demons. That's when the creatures learned that the demons were actually of their own kind, only turned into demons by the boss demon. The creatures made a new plan. Instead of making the creature they had created powerful, they would give it the power to call the power of others to itself, as well as the power to call out a creature's true form from. Yes, the organoid was born. And with it, came the power of words. The organoid was able to draw out the true forms of the demons and chased away the true demons forever."  
  
The girl stole a glance at the man. He smiled back at her and stood up.  
  
"I'd better go. Don't get into any trouble now. Bye, kid."  
  
**Flashback End**  
  
Shane's eyes opened wide.  
  
"Lasto ethei! Maenel he, mellestka!*" Shane cried out.  
  
Jason staggered away from Rit and clutched his head.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Inari screamed. "Kill that girl!" Inari jabbed her finger at Rit.  
  
But Jason's mind was a whirling pool of confusion and chaos. He let out a cry and fell to his knees, still clutching his head. Inari roared and stamped her feet. She turned her infuriated eyes toward Shane.  
  
"You! How do you know the language of the organoids?!" She demanded.  
  
"I-I.." Shane started.  
  
Inari walked over and grabbed Shane by the neck.  
  
"How do you know the language of the organoids?!" she repeated.  
  
Shane clawed at the demon's hand, but it did not loosen.  
  
"I don't know! It just came to me, I-"  
  
Inari dropped the human to the ground.  
  
"I will kill you all!"  
  
Her hands rose and red flames collected around her body.  
  
"Die now!"  
  
------------------------------------  
  
{A/N: Cliffies! Lol. You'll just have to wait.}  
  
*Remember yourself! Fight her, my friend! 


	12. Hope

{A/N: I'm really sorry about not updating! I've been really busy and I also had a writer's block. But I'm over it and I'm pretty sure you people don't want to listen to all of my sad excuses, so on to the story!}  
  
Hope  
  
The three shapes snuck passed the power plant unnoticed to the other side of the property. There, they saw a small village. For a long time they walked around looking for the weapons shop. The town may have been small, but it was almost like a maze. There were dead ends, twist and turns, merging roads, and not to mention a few obstacles. Countless times the threesome had to fend off a few demons.  
  
"This is getting ridiculous," Shinigami spat after beating up another group of demons.  
  
Finally the three looked up at a sign in front of a small store. 'Weapons and Artillery' the sign read.  
  
"This must be it," Jake said.  
  
"How do we get to the basement?" Kat wondered aloud.  
  
"A distraction," Jake said simply.  
  
"What do mean?" Shinigami said.  
  
"One of us will pretend to be interested in some item and occupy the cashier while the rest of us sneak into the basement. Or at least find the entrance to the basement. Then the other person'll have to break for it and find us. Or just say you need to go to the restroom and walk toward us instead."  
  
"Do demons go to the restroom?" Kat asked, wrinkling her nose.  
  
"It's worth a try," Shinigami said, shrugging. "I'll volunteer for being the distraction," Shinigami added, with a nasty smirk on her face.  
  
"Just don't kill the cashier okay?" Jake said.  
  
Shinigami scowled but nodded. The three walked into the store. For a while they feigned interest in the weapons, chatting and pointing at the items. Jake shot Shinigami a looked, and she nodded. Picking up a curved sword by the hilt, Shinigami walked up to the counter and started asking the cashier questions related to the sword. Jake and Kat watched to two chat away from the corners of their eyes. As soon as they were sure the man was occupied with answering Shinigami's questions, they snuck off.  
  
"Here, let's try this door," Kat whispered, pointing at a small door.  
  
Jake looked at the door and shrugged. "May as well."  
  
The two slowly opened the door and peaked inside.  
  
"Bingo," Kat said.  
  
Shinigami was still talking with the cashier when she heard a soft, "Pssst!" Without turning her head, she looked over and saw Kat waving her over. Shinigami nodded her head very slightly and turned back to the cashier. She smiled sweetly.  
  
"Excuse me," she said.  
  
She turned away. Then suddenly she spun around and hit the demon in the face. The cashier fell unconscious. With a smile of content Shinigami walked toward the others.  
  
"I found it easier than lying," she said with a shrug.  
  
"Whatever," Jake grumbled.  
  
The three declined down the stairs, cautiously as to not arose any sound or anything that might be waiting for them at the bottom of the steps. They entered a very normal-looking basement and started to look for the boxes labeled 'Explosives'. Sure enough, the boxes were there, and so was the hidden entrance. The trap door opened when Jake tapped on it, and lead down to another set of stairs, not so friendly-looking as the basement ones. They were narrow and spiraling and had somewhat of a creepy look to them. Shinigami pushed Jake forward.  
  
"You go first."  
  
Jake snorted but obeyed. The other two hesitantly followed him down the stairs. The stairs seem to go on forever. But as they neared the bottom, Jake almost fell down the stairs. He grabbed onto the railing and pulled himself back to his feet. The energy coming from the bottom was immense. Kat and Shinigami ran over to help him, but he shrugged them off.  
  
"I'm fine," he kept saying.  
  
Jake started down the stairs again, trying his best to breath evenly, though the sticky energy was like smoke from a cigarette to him. The three finally reached the bottom. They stood in front of another door. It was very plain looking, but at the same time very menacing. With a last deep breath, Jake pushed the door open. He fell back. Kat and Shinigami caught him before he hit the ground. Gritting his teeth, Jake got back to his feet. He felt like he couldn't breathe. In front of them was a strange round room tiled with blue-ish metal. In the center of it was a black and white ball, no bigger than a baseball. But the ball had hexagon shaped markings all over, making it look almost like a soccer ball. Jake stared at it.  
  
"I-it's an organoid core."  
  
Kat and Shinigami took a step toward it. They inspected it, and confirmed it looked like a mini Zoid core, and therefore was indeed an organoid core. Kat reached toward it. Jake grabbed her hand.  
  
"Don't," he said sharply.  
  
"Why?" Kat asked.  
  
"You see how the core is both black and white? It is neither good nor evil. It can serve either way, but it still has an immense amount of destructive power. Mortals cannot handle it unless they have righteous ownership of it, which you do not. If you touch it, it will consume you."  
  
Kat, wide-eyed, stepped back.  
  
"We have to destroy it," Shinigami said flatly.  
  
Jake shot a look at her. "Yes, I realize that."  
  
Black light began to collect around the ball. The three stepped back. The energy slowly formed itself into some sort of strange form. Two long lines of light stretched from the ball and touched the ground, forming legs and talons. Wings sprouted from the back of the shape as well as a long, serpentine tail. Soon, the creature was formed. An organoid stood in front of them. Jake stood, stunned.  
  
"It...Looks like me!" he thought.  
  
The organoid turned to him.  
  
"That is because I am you."  
  
The voice was startling. It sounded almost exactly like Jake's but with a darker tone. Jake took a step forward.  
  
"You are not I. I am I. I stand here, not there."  
  
"I see you have been influenced by these ignorant humans a little too much hm?" the organoid made of light replied.  
  
Jake glared at the organoid. But Shinigami stepped in front of Jake.  
  
"What are you?"  
  
"I guess you could say I am the forgotten portion of this," the organoid said, nodding its head toward Jake.  
  
"Forgotten portion?"  
  
"After living as a human, with them, this creature here has let go of a portion off himself. Me. The true organoid self."  
  
Jake was furious. "OH? So I'm just a 'this creature' now? I'M MORE ME THAN YOU, YOU STUPID PIECE OF LIGHT!"  
  
The light organoid seemed amused by Jake's sudden outburst, and let out a small laugh. Kat glared at the organoid.  
  
"Well, I don't care what you are. We need to destroy you, and you're not going to stop us."  
  
"No, of course I will not stop you. But it may be a little hard for you to destroy me. You see, as I said before, I am him." The organoid gestured toward Jake. "And to destroy me, you must destroy him."  
  
The three stood, stunned.  
  
"We can't do that," Shinigami said simply. "There must be another way."  
  
"There is not, as far as I know," the light organoid replied.  
  
"Well you know nothing," Kat spat.  
  
Shinigami stared at the organoid, as if trying to figure out something. She closed her eyes, and reached out for it. Her hand stopped millimeters away from its chest. Visions filled her mind. Shinigami's eyes opened promptly. She stood in that position, shaking her head.  
  
"What?" Jake asked.  
  
He walked up toward him, and put his hand lightly on her shoulder. Shinigami moved out from underneath his touch. She turned to him, her eyes filled with sorrow.  
  
"This core has been feeding Inari too long. It is bent toward evil. It cannot be turned away from it. The core serves Death. But there is another way to destroy it..."  
  
"So?"  
  
"...The only way to fight Death is...with Life."  
  
Kat and Jake looked at Shinigami, disbelieving. Shinigami looked back at them, smiling softly, but with sad eyes. She looked at Jake. Jake blocked her path toward the light organoid.  
  
"I cannot let you proceed with this. If I am the price that needs to be paid, so be it. I will not let you interfere."  
  
"Jake...I was the one who saw the visions. I...I can't let anyone else do what I was meant to do."  
  
"You were not meant to do anything," Jake said back.  
  
"In the visions, it showed me walking up to the organoid. Not you. It showed you and Kat going back to the real world. The core of the organoid will replenish your energy when it is destroyed. But I am the one to do it."  
  
Jake looked back at her. Kat did the same. She looked at Jake.  
  
"You can't let her do this," she pleaded.  
  
"Is this...what you really want?"  
  
Shinigami nodded. "The world still needs you, Jake - no, Exile. You still have a purpose to serve. Me? This is my purpose."  
  
Jake looked back at Shinigami. "I...We will meet again, Shinigami. In some other world. I know it."  
  
He hugged her close. "After my first life as a human, I had promised myself that I would never get close enough to any human. I promised that I wouldn't let any human hurt me.I will miss you."  
  
"Me too," Kat said, from behind Jake. Her eyes were worried, and pleading.  
  
Shinigami looked at both of them, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't bear it any longer.  
  
"Good-bye," she said simply.  
  
She pushed Jake away, and before the two could react. Shinigami turned and ran into the black light of the organoid. Jake stepped toward the light, but he was too late. Shinigami was engulfed by the light. There was a pained roar, and the light became brighter. Jake and Kat shielded their eyes from the light. When they put down their arms, the organoid and Shinigami were gone. Kat fell to her knees. Jake felt a newfound strength inside himself. Kat refused to get off the ground, even when Jake tried to help her to her feet.  
  
"There's nothing we can do now, Kat. She wanted to do this. We couldn't have stopped her."  
  
"I know... I just wish... I wish..." But Kat didn't finish.  
  
Jake supported Kat as she climbed to her feet.  
  
"I just want to go home," Kat said.  
  
"Me too."  
  
Kat leaned again Jake, and Jake held her close. A bright light surrounded them, and they disappeared from the room, just as the ceiling began to collapse.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
"Die now!"  
  
Shane closed her eyes tight. She didn't want to die, but she began to accept it. The blast seemed delayed. Shane opened her eyes slowly. The flame was beginning to disappear.  
  
"What's happening?" she screamed.  
  
From the shadows, Enko and Khai appeared. Their animalistic features had disappeared.  
  
"I'll tell what happened. We've been freed. The three you sent to the demon world found that source. And destroyed it," Enko said.  
  
"You!" Inari screamed. "You helped them! You were supposed to deceive them! I still have some power though! I can still destroy you!"  
  
Inari faced Shane once again, releasing the red flame from her fist. Jason, freed from the demon's control, leapt in front of Shane. The flame hit his back. Jason fell over, his eyes glazing over and filled with pain.  
  
"Jason!"  
  
But Jason stood wearily to his feet.  
  
"You can't hurt me. You can't hurt any of us now."  
  
Jason pulled out his handgun and fired. The bullet whizzed through the air and embedded itself between the demon queen's eyes. With a last scream, the demon melted into a pile of dust. Everything was quiet. Jason dropped his gun. Shane walked over to him and put her arms around him.  
  
"It's alright now, Jason."  
  
"Are...you okay?"  
  
"Yes. Now I am."  
  
Rit helped Drake to his feet. The forest seemed to begin to move. The four looked around.  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
Enko and Khai looked at the trees.  
  
"This forest was being fed by Inari's life energy. With her dead, it will diminish. We must escape before this whole forest drags us to the same doom."  
  
The six ran through the forest, dodging and ducking under falling branches and vines. The forest began to sink to into the ground. Then they began to move toward the spot where Inari's dust remained. The six fought against the drag and reached their Zoids. Enko and Khai looked around.  
  
"We can escape on our own. You must go."  
  
Rit nodded and pushed Storm forward.  
  
"Let's go! Chemuk! Come on!"  
  
The organoid howled and fused with the Zoid. Shane's Gryphantom came to life and took off into the sky along with the Dragon King and Jason's Zabat. The Shinryu took the Konig Wolf in its claws and hoisted it into the air. The four watched as the forest below began to disappear, sucked into the black hole made by Inari's remains. Rit turned away, unable to watch. Her mind was on Vega. She wanted to get back to him. Wanted to see him normal again. Wanted everything to be normal again. Wanted so much but nothing at all. The wind whispered in a tongue no mortal could understand, as the last tree moaned and was sucked into oblivion.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
"ANGEL!!"  
  
It seemed to take forever for that bullet to reach the behemoth. But it went closer, and closer. The bullet ripped through the kneecap of the Gigantor. The beam incinerated half of the Ion Sniper, along with the ground and its user. The flaming Zoid fell to the ground with a last groan of defiance. As his Zoid began to burn, Cloud jumped out of the cockpit and fell to the ground. He watched the two Zoids burn to eternity. Cloud lay motionless on the ground, watching the world through blurred eyes. His vision then went black.  
  
Cloud's eyes fluttered open. It was late in the afternoon. The body of the Gigantor was still smoking. Cloud felt blood trickling down his face, but wiped it off. He didn't care what happened to himself. His first thought was of the others. Cloud staggered to his feet.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Cloud spun around. Angel stood in front of him, a cocky smile on her face.  
  
"You're alive!"  
  
"Somewhat," Angel said.  
  
Cloud rushed over to help Angel walk. Soon, the others began to get up from their slumbers. The teams were reunited. They looked over at the fallen giant, arms over each other's shoulders. They had defeated the giant. K.O. wasn't smiling though. His thoughts were on the Raynos pilot that had saved his life.  
  
"You...forgetting someone?"  
  
The two teams turned around. There, stood Jamie, his face covered with soot and dirt. But he was smiling.  
  
"Jamie!" Cloud said.  
  
"In the flesh," Jamie said with a grin. "It'll take more than that to kill the Wild Eagle."  
  
K.O. looked at Jamie. "Why did you do that?"  
  
Jamie looked back at K.O. and shrugged. "Sometimes the Eagle takes over and does things. He must like you though. I don't think the Wild Eagle would do something that considerate for anyone."  
  
K.O. grinned slightly. The two adversaries turned back toward the Gigantor, for now, friends and teammates. But tomorrow, they knew they'd be opponents once again.  
  
{A/N: Yes folks. I am sad to announce this is The End. Hope you enjoyed the story, and I thank you for reviewing and staying with me for the whole time! You guys are great! Thank you soooo much! I love all of you and hope to see you in the future! I'll probably put up an epilogue soon, so please read it. ^.~} 


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
The Shinryu neared the ground, and as the Konig Wolf's paws touched the ground, it released its grip on the wolf-Zoid. As soon as Rit felt Drake release her Zoid, Rit stumbled out of the cockpit, Chemuk closely trailing her. Her eyes started to fill with tears of joy as she saw a figure standing in front of the Last Guard Team base.  
  
"Vega!"  
  
Vega smiled, and welcomed Rit into his arms.  
  
"You're back..." Rit said quietly.  
  
"No, you're back," Vega answered with a smile.  
  
Death and Cloud looked at the two, each with a lifted eyebrow.  
  
"How sappy..." they both mumbled to themselves.  
  
Rit turned to them with an angry glare.  
  
"What was that?" she asked, with gritted teeth.  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
Jamie, Strider, Ariel, and Angel stood by them, laughing. K.O. turned to look at Drake.  
  
"Sorry kid. You'll have to wait a couple weeks before we can pay you. All this damage done to our Zoids and base is going to cost us a lot."  
  
"Don't you have insurance?" Drake asked dryly. "That's okay. It's on the house, but next time, you'd better pay up." Drake grinned.  
  
K.O. raised and eyebrow. "How do you know there is going to be a next time?"  
  
Drake, with his arms crossed, just scoffed and walked off toward his Zoid. Rit turned away from her Death and Cloud bashing and looked toward Drake.  
  
"Drake!" she called.  
  
Drake looked over his shoulder.  
  
"Thanks for everything!"  
  
Drake just grinned and turned around to continue walking. He raised one hand in acknowledgement, and climbed into his Zoid. The two teams watched the lone mercenary fly off into the sky. K.O. looked at Vega.  
  
"You and your team can stay here for a little while if you want, but we're going to be repairing most of the time."  
  
"In other words," Ariel said, walking up to the two captains. "You're welcomed to stay, but we'll force you to help us repair our base."  
  
Vega laughed.  
  
"Yeah, we'll help. All I've done for you guys is sleep anyway."  
  
The two captains grinned. The red sun began its advance into the sky, and Strider could be heard in the background saying, "Now, Rit. There's no need to kill them..."  
  
Ariel and K.O. turned to look at the battleground. The scoured Gigantor lay petrified on the ground, as it would, for years to come.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Shane and Jason watched as the forest was sucked up into void. Everything that had happened seemed like a dream to them. A faded memory.  
  
"It doesn't seem real...does it?" Shane asked quietly.  
  
Jason turned his gaze away from the forest.  
  
"I wish I could forget. I wish it were a dream. I still can't believe..."  
  
He stopped in mid-sentence and walked back toward his Zabat. Shane watched him go. But Jason paused as he started to climb into the cockpit.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Shane shook her head.  
  
"There is no thanks to give. Where are you going to go now?"  
  
"I don't know. Where ever the wind decides to take us. I just want to get away from here."  
  
"The memories wills stay with you no matter what. You can't forget things so easily. You're only human."  
  
"It's because I'm human that I will be able to forget."  
  
Shane just grinned at this and walked over to her own Zoid. The Gryphantom greeted its pilot with a shrill cry. Shane smiled as she climbed into the cockpit. Jason watched her.  
  
"Where are you going from here?"  
  
Shane shrugged.  
  
"Where ever the wind decides to take us."  
  
Jason lifted an eyebrow and grinned.  
  
"Race you."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"To where ever we're going."  
  
"You're on."  
  
The two Zoids lifted into the sky, and flew off, two mavericks, out to face whatever the world brought against them.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Jake stood in his human form on a wide-open meadow. Next to him, Kat was looking solemnly up at the brilliant blue sky. She looked at him, though he would not return her gaze. There was a pile of rocks neatly assembled into a small distinct grave in the center of the meadow.  
  
"You know she would have done it anyway," Kat said quietly.  
  
Jake looked down at the ground.  
  
"I know. I just wish... this thing had come out differently."  
  
"You can't expect a happy ending all the time. You, of all people, should know that," Kat said, with slight disappointment in her voice.  
  
"I just can't help feeling that she thought my life was worth more than hers, when it's not. Just because I'll live forever doesn't make my life more important," Jake said.  
  
The two were silent for a while.  
  
"I think this the only way it could have come out."  
  
"What do you mean?!" Jake asked angrily.  
  
Kat spun and faced Jake.  
  
"Think about it. If you had given your life, Shinigami and I would have been trapped in the demon world forever, and who knows what could have happened. Besides...she said she saw a vision..."  
  
"You always have a choice," Jake retorted. "The future is never certain, and I, of all people, should know that."  
  
"There's no point in beating yourself up now Jake. All we can do is hope she's somewhere else now. In a better place. I wish we knew where her family was... or who her friends were."  
  
Jake looked toward the sky.  
  
"I think she would have liked this better. Small, quiet, confined. She was a pretty solitary person."  
  
There was a great roar in the distance. Jake smiled grimly. The Death Raptor stood in the distance, its fiery wings open, roaring with all its might and fury, trying to find its master. Jake had tried to make the Zoid understand, but 'death' was not a concept most Zoids could comprehend. The Raptor let out another mournful roar.  
  
"We should do something..." Kat said.  
  
"No. The Raptor will stay here forever and guard her grave. Soon the Zoid will understand that its master will never return, and that it is up to him to keep her spirit alive. This land will become a sacred place guarded by a powerful Zoid, and no one shall disturb it, letting Shinigami rest in peace," Jake said.  
  
He turned away and started to walk in the opposite direction. Kat ran up to him and grabbed his arm.  
  
"Aren't you going to say...Good-bye?"  
  
Jake smiled softly at her.  
  
"It is never good-bye."  
  
{A/N: Well that's it. Thanks for sticking this long everyone. I've had a couple requests for a sequel, but I'm pretty dry with ideas at the moment. I have a few ideas, but they're more in the 'use the TV show character' category. In other words, if you want a sequel, give me ideas. ^^; Please EMAIL them to me at blue_tenshi@smapxsmap.net Hope to see you on the battle field of my next story, whatever it may be. Bye all.} 


End file.
